Full text of "PC Zone 92 (August 2000)"

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PC GAMES VAULT

THEMUQUERADE

REDEMPTION

Stunning visuals and unrivalled
gameplay in this classic RPG

FINITIVE REVIEWS

O TINY COMPO: A'/ 'inliny lo lolktor.' ho.v f)o you kill a vHm|)irfr''

IF YOUR COVERMOUNT IS MISSING PLEASE CONSULT YOUR NEWSAGENT

PLUS! FREEUNCER • ilUCE • NEOCRON • METHL GEM SOD • COUNTER-STRIKE 6.5 • TRIIES 2 •

xissmiwn-iiORiEwoRiiiCAimYSM-wiuiuiiim oucx&white

[PORT PRICE £4.99 Bf424

Are you aiaccomplished

Grand Prix 3 has won f he" race...
setting the Formula One benchrfiark
for years to come. Other developers
might as well give up now." pczone

Ill

C& ISSUE #92 AUG 2000

ONLINE The start of a massive dedicated online section. High-speed Internet
accounts are nearly here, and there are a lot of very good reasons to get connected.

COUNTER-STRIKE 6.1 Review of
the world's most popular mod.

GROUND CONTROL Another RTS
heavyweight takes to the ring.

MOTOCROSS MADNESS 2 Sick stunts
and radical action, duude.

y r OPEN TENNIS 2000 Euro 2000 is over '
I w and Wimbledon's here. '

DEUS EX Believe the hype. This is
from the legendary Warren Spector.

PCZC0N1ENTS

We take a look at ttie games we're
getting unnaturally excited about

38 PC ZONE E3 AWARDS

Drool over the games that are going
to set the world on fire over the next
two years, including:

BUCK & WHITE. ESCAPE FROM
MONKEY ISUND.XCOM
ULMNCE. ALICE. DONGEON
SIEGE. B-17 2 -FLYING
FORTRESS. HUO. RETURN TO
CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN AND
FREELANCER

44 DEUS EX

Welcome to the game of this year. It
looks like Warren Spector has conjured
up another epic. We playtest the first
five levels of the game

48 KISS PSYCHO CIRCUS

Forget the rock band and look forward
to an all-action take on the first-person
shooter

50 HOMEWORLD: CATACLYSM

Get lost in space witt) this standalone
expansion pack, courtesy of Counter-
Strike coders Barking Dog

The most definitive reviews section around. All tlie latest and greatest PC games
(and, of course, some of the worst) come under tiie cynical PC ZOfff microscope

NEW GAMES
56 VAMPIRE
62 GROUND CONTROL
66 MOTOCROSS MADNESS 2
70 OPEN TENNIS 2000
73 METAL FATIGUE

75 EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

76 WARLORDS BATTLECRY

79 FLYING HEROES

80 DRACULA: RESURRECTION

80 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF 2000

81 CRICKET 2000

82 ULTIMATE GOLF
82 CROSSCRAZE
82 TROPHY BASS 4
82 CUECLUB

SUPERTEST

84 ACTION/ADVENTURE GAMES

Indiana Jones, Lara or David Bowie? Wtio
Is tlie action liero of the 21st Century?
The ZONE team argue the toss

BUDGET REVIEWS

93 RESIBENTEVIL2

93 REQUIEM: AVENGING ANGEL

94 THE BIGGEST NAMES.
THE BEST GAMES VOL 3

94 PODGOLB

94 V2000

94 PANBEM0NIUM2

94 INTERNATIONAL RALLY
CHAMPIONSHIP

READERS' REVIEWS

96 FEEDBACK

We've stirred-up a hornet's nest with our
review of GmsA/p.'Tliankfully you're all
on our side. Soldier Of Fortune is stiW
making the headlines, along with Need
For Speed Porsclie 2000

News, previews and reviews on tlie here
and now In the world of online gaming

NEWS

99 ULTIMA WORLOS ONLINE: ORIGIN

100 JUMPGATE

101 ANARCHY ONLINE

102 NEOCRON

103 DARKAGEOFCAMELOT

REVIEWS

104 EVERQUEST: RUINS OF KUNARK

105 ULTIMA ONLINE: RENAISSANCE

106 COUNTER-STRIKE V6.1

107 INFILTRATION V2.7

108 ALIENS VS PREDATOR: GOLD
EDITION

109 ACES HIGH V1.02
109 Q3JAILBREAKV2.2

4 PGZONE 092 MIG 2000

Kamp/reallows us to act
out a fantasy most
people have: to be a \
monstrous killer rather i
than a helpless victim, j
It is a fantasy of dark \
forbidden power

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE - REDEMPTION The best-looking RPG of all time, by a neck. This is the game by which all future RPGs will
be judged. Check out this early contender for Game Of The Year in our massive six-page review.

CONTENTS

ON THE CDs

MADNESS 2

FLYING HEMES
GROUND CONTROL
WARLORDS DATTUCRY
STAR TREK: ARMADA
DIE HARD TRIL0GY2

CUECLUB
COMBATMISSION-
BEYOND OVERLORD

ALL THE BEST GTA2AND
TA: KINGDOMS ADD-ONS

TROUBLESHOOTER I ENDZONE

Quite literally the most definitive games
news section in the universe

10 METAL GEM SOLID

The PlayStation hit Is coming to the PC

12 EMPIRE EARTH

Age Of Empires meets Civilization

14-31 BUUniN

Gaming news from all over the planet.
If it's worth knowing, we'll tell you

22 THE PC ZONE CHARTS

Current and past PC game charts, and
the chance to win the Top 10 games

32 THE MAN WHO KNOWS

A Daikatana sequel? Well if anyone
knows, it's The Man.

32-33 HOTSHOTS

If a picture tells a thousand words, we
have a whole novel on Sierra's
multiplayer epic Tribes 2

Lots of stuff about stuff, or something
like that

34 MAILBOX

Go on, get it off your chest. Write a letter
to the editor and if you're really lucky you
might win a Microsoft IntelliMouse

141 SUBSCRIBE

Save money and get PC ZONE delivered

142 PCZ0NET0P100

We've revamped and rescored all the
games in our Top 1 00 - just for you!

148 ON THE CO

Along with the latest playable demos and
patches, we've got Sudden Stril<e and
loads of new maps for Counter-Strike

132 WHArS ON YOUR HARD DRIVE?

Readers reveal their innermost secrets
to PC ZONE

The most extensive and comprehensive
tips section in town

118 CHEAT MASTER

Having troubles? Well, don't stress, 'cos
Keith Pullin's here to help you out

120 MESSIAH WALKTHROUGH

A strategy guide to help you help Bob
earn his wings

124 THIEFII: THE METAL AGE

Make stealing and sneaking easy, with
this guide to the first half of Thief II

128 DEARWANDY

He speaks binary, don'tcha know

130 WATCHDOG

Got a gripe about a game or a publisher?
Have a cry on Adam Phillips' shoulder

Just when you thought the mag had
ended... blimey, a whole lot more!

154 EXTENDED PLAY

This month we have loads of stuff to
extend the lives of GTA 2 and TA:
Kingdoms

158 THE WORLD ACCORDING TO...

We talk to the French-based Darkworks
team about the forthcoming Alone In
The Dark 4 and the future of the
adventure genre

182 TEAM TALK

Richie Shoemaker reveals ttie deepest,
darkest, not so well kept secrets of the
PCZO/Vf team, with all the scandal from
the past month, our trip to E3 in LA, as
well as a few tales from the local. . .

I THE COMPO NO ONE FINDS com i , a- .•.,.nt., m <,m^iK«, „n.i .v, , ..-v |

I goodies Se<id your eiiHy o»i a postcard artdrnssal to The Compo No One Finds (92), PCZOME, 19 Bolsover Street. London

1 W1P 7HJ. Ihe tifst entry wilh the cotrecl answer pkjched out o) ttic tat wins a mystery prue The edikx s rtwiisinii s dial Ctosng date |

I Thi)rsday27JuV200O.Thevwine»ol(XjrJune(#90)a)«rconipowasMrfc^ I

I from ttic ZONE prizes cupboard lor sending in Ihe correct answer to our last little teaser J

AU62000#92PCZONE 5

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WITH Logitech
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ABSOLUTELY
BRILLIANT?

Despite the fact we reviewed Daikatana last month, it continues to be at
the heart of all things controversial in the ZONE office. After continuous
delays, it finally arrived in the our office for review last issue, looking
years out of date and less than impressive. Rigorous play testing by Dave
Woods revealed a game that was not exactly a total disaster, but was
certainly destined to take its place beside the also-rans in the first-person
shoot 'em up genre. We were disappointed. Little did we know at that
stage that our Daikatana-related troubles had only just begun. HMV ran
an advert last issue with a 'quote' taken from the June '98 issue of PC
ZONE in which we said the game was "absolutely brilliant". This quote was taken
from a news item, the exact wording was thus: "As these exclusive new screenshots
show, Daikatana is currently looking absolutely brilliant." Well, that may have been
the case two years ago, but as our review last issue clearly stated, Daikatana is not
brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, quite the opposite, in fact. We have been

inundated with emails from concerned

^For the record then, let me take this
opportunity to announce to the world
that Daikatanaxs definitely not brilliant,
which is why it was awarded a distinctly
average score of 53 per cent^

readers about this, asking if there was
some mistake. We approached Eidos
and its comment was: "We take quotes
from the press throughout a game's
development and store them. One of our
marketing people must have used an
early quote before realising you did not like the game." For the record then, let me
take this opportunity to announce to the world that Daikatana is definitely not
brilliant, which is why it was awarded a distinctly average score of 53 per cent last
month. On a related note, we stated last issue that our Daikatana review was
exclusive. As far as we were concerned, it was exclusive. Unfortunately, we were told
by Eidos that a rival magazine reviewed the US version of the game without its
permission, thus scuppering our UK exclusive. There was nothing we could do about
this, and I can only say we proclaimed the review to be exclusive in good faith and
did not mean to mislead anyone with our cover claims last month. That then, is the
final word on Daikatana. If I never see the thing again it will be about 50 million

years too soon. ^

Enjoy the issue, see you all ^^^|

again next month.

Chris Anderson,

Editor

Daikatana demonstrates Its clear lack of absolute brilliance.

AUG 2000 #92 PCZONE 9

THArS GOOD GEAR MAN...

UL YOU NEED TO KNOW

DEVELOPER Konami

PUBUSHER Microsoft

EXPECTED RELEASE DATE Late 2000

WEBSFTE www.metalgear.com

IN SUMMARY

A first-person stealtti-t)ased action game along ttie
lines of Thief. Tfie atmosphere is also very tense,
leading many fans to compare it to Resident Evil.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

Metal Gear Solid sent millions of PlayStation owners
into fits of ecstasy proclaiming tfiat tfie PlayStation
was ttie t)est games machine on the planet. Well, now
M6S \s on the PC and it's going to be even tjetter. Hah.

METAL GEAR

With a host of awards
under its ammo bait, the
PiayStation's espionage
blockbuster is finaiiy
coming to the PC

O SOUD AS A ROCK Keith Pullin

10 PCZONE#92AUG2000

If the Resident Evils of this world
left you quivering and gibbering
in the dark, Metal Gear Solid
will undoubtedly induce a
similar terror. This, the most
recent instalment of the long
running console-based Metal
Gear series of games, has actually
been out on the PlayStation for about
18 months now - and as you should
already know, the game was a
monster hit worldwide.

Courtesy of a joint venture
between Konami and Microsoft it's
now the PC's turn to host the show. So
just what is all the fuss about then?
Well, the story goes something like
this. In his latest and most dangerous
mission, the irrepressible Solid Snake
(a covert operations specialist as
opposed to a 20ft boa-constrictor
or 20in pom star) must infiltrate
a terrorist stronghold, rescue a few
feeble-minded scientists, destroy
the infamous Metal Gear Rex (an
enormous walking nuclear missile
launcher), get the girl - or one of

them anyway, and then roar off in
a F-16 while the base turns into a
gigantic fireball behind him.

MGS is rip-roaring stuff: Alistair
MacLean could have written it and
Pierce Brosnan could have starred.
Most of your time is spent hugging
walls, crawling under tanks and
dodging searchlights. One mistake
and you're history. Enemy soldiers
possess such finely tuned AI that they
follow sound and footprints and even

from night vision goggles to body
armour to cigarettes - and you'll
be surprised at just how useful
they can be.

The real question is how will
the PC version be different? Firstly,
there's support for screen resolutions
of up to 1,024x768, meaning that
graphically the game is far sharper
and more detailed than its console
counterpart. Secondly, and much
more significantly, the PC

^In his latest mission, the irrepressihie Solid Snake
must infiltrate a terrorist stronghold, rescue a few
feeble-minded scientists, destroy the infamous Metal
Gear Rex, get the girl, and then roar off in a F-16^

roll grenades into tunnels and holes
if they suspect anything untoward.

And then there are guns. MGS
features more than 30 weapons,
including machine guns, sniper
rifles and rocket launchers. There's
also a huge selection of tools ranging

offers a first-person as opposed to
third-person view. Apparently this
option was available in the Japanese
PlayStation version, but you had to
complete the game before it could be
unlocked. No such gruelling effort
needed here, although it has to be

stressed that the console version was
third-person for a reason, and that
very good reason was so that you
could easily hide behind walls and
watch enemy soldiers approaching
before leaping out of your hiding
place to break their necks.

Hopefully that's not going to
affect the gameplay too much,
although the feeling here at ZONE
Towers is that the PC version will
veer towards action rather than
strategy - a theory bolstered by news
that players can save whenever they
like instead of at the end of each
stage. Whether this is good or bad
news completely depends on your
own preferences, of course.

What is good news though, is the
revelation that PC gamers will have
access to literally hundreds of
missions due to the inclusion of a
mission pack as part of the deal.

MGS is due out towards the end of
the year, and rest assured we'll get
into gear to bring you more news
when we have it. GH

AII62000 #92PCZONE 11

THROUGH THE AGES WITH...

ALL YOU NHD TO KNOW

DEVELOPER Stainless Steel Studios
PUBUSHER Sierra

EXPECTED RELEASE Dm Earty 2001
WEBSITE www.sierra.com

IN SUMMARY

Guide your carefully chosen civilisation ttirough 1 2
epochs covering 500,000 years of the Earth's history,
from clutjs to lasers, arrows to ICBMs. light spears to
heavy tanks. Research 1 50 technological advances,
with 1 50 different military units to fight, ten'orise or
sneak your way to ultimate victory.

WHAFS THE BIG DEAL?

Each civilisation will have its own strengths and
weaknesses, while each military unit can t)e upgraded
in temis of attack, defence and range, bringing
endless strategic options and battles over land, sea
and air. Heroes are also included, four in each epoch,
and there will be no less than 1 2 different resources to
harvest and collect. All you need to know.

How about a real-time strategy game with the complexity of Civilization^ the
graphical beauty of Age Of Empires and the intense action of Command & Conquei^
Too good to be true? Sierra doesn't think so... oearthbound Andrew wnght

12 PCZONE#92AUGZ000

Skoda unveils its latest hatchback in the year 2340.

Empire Earth looks like two
strategy game classics -
Civilization and Age Of
Empires - rolled into one,
and it also comes from
pretty good stock. Boston,
Massachusetts, in fact,
home of one Rick Goodman, head
honcho at Stainless Steel Studios and
lead designer on Age Of Empires.

First off, Empire Earth is going
to be big. Huge in fact, with massive
randomly generated maps and varied
terrain types. It will encompass half a
million years of human history with a
dozen epochs, along much the same
line as Age Of Empires. Secondly,
Goodman wanted Empire Earth to
satisfy two types of gamer, the empire
builders and the conquerors,
something that no real-time strategy
game has so far managed to do. It
will offer several paths to victory,
either through outright conquest
or by building a Wonder.

Empire Earth will feature a dozen
different epochs from the Stone Age

through to the 24th century.
Each epoch will have associated
technologies, as well as 'real-life' heroes
such as Alexander The Great,
Napoleon, Patton and so on. The
heroes will help a side in several
different ways, from shortening build
times to boosting defence or adding to
attack factors. There will be four heroes
in each epoch - two construction types
and two combat types. Queen Elizabeth
I, for instance, will speed up building in
nearby cities, while Julius Caesar vydll
add a combat bonus to his units.

Players will be able to create and
customise their own civilisations using

to 16 players possible, but there
will be a population cap on the total
number of units allowed in order to
avoid slowing the game down.

There will be 12 different
resources available to collect,
although some, such as oil, will only
be available in certain epochs and
with the correct technology. Other
features will include disasters such as
earthquakes, floods and disease in
single-player mode and places like
hospitals, which will improve the
citizens' healing rates.

A lot of thought has gone into the
naval combat with boats and ships

«6|f the game plays as well as it looks. Sierra may
have found the ultimate in real-time strategy...^*

a points allocation system for
attributes such as military strength,
diplomacy and science, as well as
playing the 12 ready-made civilisations.
Naturally, the game will have the full
range of multiplayer options, with up

having two sets of hit points, one for
the hull and the other for the rigging.
Rigging damage will immobilise a
unit, hull damage will sink it. Perhaps
the most important feature of the
game, though, will be that naval and

other units will be upgradeable
with ten different attributes for
each, helping to differentiate each
civilisation's units and making combat
more interesting. Micro-management
will be kept to a minimum, especially
with aircraft, as they can be told to
bomb an area or building, return to
reload and attack again.

The graphics in Empire Earth look
nice and smooth, as each unit is made
up of only a few polygons to keep the
frame count up. And each one will
have its own unique - and quite
spectacular - death animation and
signature sound. If the game plays
as well as it looks. Sierra may
have found the ultimate in real-
time strategy... O

AUG2000tf92PCZONE 13

NEWS EDITOR Richie Shoemaker

tif you'd care
to flick through
the magazine
past the reviews
(so long as you
read it all later),
you'll notice my evil tv^^in has
taken residence in PC ZONE'S
new online section. I thought
I'd point that out in case you
were wondering what had
happened to news on mods or
online games that are coming
up. And now for something
completely different...

Although I'm not adverse to
the odd space-bound dogfight,
I'm not much of a flight sim
fan. Even so, news that another
flight sim has bitten the dust
{Attack Squadron, see story
opposite) leaves me wondering
if the genre has any future.
After /i- 772 is released Hasbro
will be pulling out of the genre,
FA seems to be too, and apart
from a few online sims there
don't seem to be any new
flight games on the horizon,
apart from Microsoft's Combat
Flight Sim 2 and Rowan's
Battle Of Britain.

It's easy to see why (if you're
one of those hateful marketing
types). Flight sims don't sell in
the volumes that publishers
such as EA and Hasbro demand.

However, I like to remain
upbeat. In my view, with many
developers turning to the
Internet to distribute their
games, innovative flight sims
will still appear and there
are always other publishers
willing to take them on. Like
role-playing games a couple
of years ago, the flight sim
genre is just going through
a bad patch. Give it a year
or so and they will be back.

Finally, I would just like to
point out that it seems like our
all-new-and-improved website
is finally getting the overhaul
treatment and should be ready
to go live in a couple of
months. That's not to say the
old site is being left to rot. It
will still be updated on a daily
basis and if you are clamouring
to chat to other PC ZONE
regulars while the chat forum
is down, why not visit the PC
ZONE Readers Forum at http:
//publ 2.ezboard.com/fpczr67
723discussions. Our eternal
thanks go out to Mike Price for
setting the whole thing up.

THEPCZONE
CHARTS

What's in, out,
up and down

WILD WEST
SHOOTOUT

Desperados af[]6M
Gunslinger M

P.20 1

The final game from Looking Glass Studios - Thief 11: The Metal Age,

THROUGH WITH
LOOKING GLASS

Award-winning developer of 7h/ef //closes down

Looking Glass Studios, developer of the
Thief and Flight Unlimited series of games,
has closed Its doors and shut up shop for
good, due in part to poor financial results.
The news comes after an open letter from
designer Randy Smith was posted across
the Internet: "Yes it's true, Looking Glass
has gone out of business. Sadly, there is a
low chance that ThiefSwiW ever see the
light of day, and it's even less likely that if it
did, a majority of Looking Glass folks would
be involved. I hope I'm wrong, but I think
that's the sad truth."

Speaking of the direction Thief 3 ms
headed Smith continued: "We were going
to do this whole open-ended, self-directed
city thing, where you get to wander around
the city and steal at your leisure."

With a team that has worked on Ultima
Underworld System Shock, Looking
Glass staff have been responsible for some
of the best ever PC games, culminating last
year with System Shock 2, co-developed
by Irrational Games, many of whom are
ex-Looking Glass employees. Creative
director at Irrational, Ken Levine, was quick
to mourn the passing of one of PC
gaming's most creative developers: "A
large number of our roster is drawn
from former Looking Glass staff, and it
is certainly an honour to be thought of
in the same breath as such an
extraordinary company. We will
certainly strive to carry on making

games in the tradition of the great place
where most of us started out."

As to Looking Glass's financial problems,
we were aware that both System Shock 2
and 7"/7/e/// underachieved in terms of sales
and although Eidos was reportedly fixing a
deal to buy into the developer, the deal
seems to have fallen through.

As well as Thief 3, Looking Glass was
also working on a flight sim to complement
its own Flight Unlimited series of games.
Jane's Attack Squadron was to have been
published by Electronic Arts and although
it seemed as though development would
continue in the light of the Looking Glass
closure, EA has since cancelled the game.
And after dropping Jane's A-10 Warthog
earlier this year it seems that another major
publisher sees fit to drive another nail in
the coffin for the flight sim genre. There is
hope, however, that another publisher will
pick up Looking Glass's last final game.

Hopes of a sequel to
System Shock 2 remain.

ufiiii ninn vniiii

W IN: tllnll £111111

GOODIES

Signed shirts &
games up for grabs

R16

MAN WHO
KNOWS

The latest
industry gossip

P.30

WHATEVER
HAPPMOm

Three more games tha t should 've
been here by now

R31

HOTSH

Big games and
even bigger
pictures

l!32

THE SHAPE OF THINGS
TO COME

EA takes the lead in the PC games packaging revolution

Proving once again that where
VA leads, the rest of the sheep
follow, the company confirmed
that all its future titles will
eschew oversized cardboard boxes
in favour of the more streamlined
DVD-style packaging used by the
film industry's latest medium.

In a rather egotistical statement to
the press, EA Europe's vice president
for marketing, Frank Sagnier,
explained the decision as being both
commercially and environmentally
friendly. "EA has a long tradition of
teaching the interactive entertainment
sector to think outside the box. Now,
quite literally, we are bringing every
aspect of our industry into the digital
age. For years consumers have been
sold high-tech products in low-tech
cardboard boxes and then thrown
these boxes away as soon as they get

O As well as new titles, EA will release its
back catalogue in DVD lioxes, whicii sliould
mean more choice on store shelves.

course mean an end to l/Zrima-style
free gifts and weighty manuals -
further indication that the hardcore
flight simulation genre is well
and truly dead.

After The World Is Not Enough DVD film, comes the DVD game.

^EA has a long tradition of teaching the interactive
entertainment sector to think outside the box^

EA EUROPE'S VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING, FRANK SAGNIER

their games home. To carry on using
boxes makes neither economic nor
ecological sense. For retailers as much
as consumers, the cardboard box is a
literal waste of space." This would of

Naturally enough, the rest of the
industry was quick to jump on the
packaging bandwagon. Infogrames
claims to have already been looking at
DVD boxes for a while now, while

Take 2 Interactive positively
confirmed its commitment to the
format. "We are very definitely in
favour of DVD style packaging for PC
titles," commented chief publishing
officer Gary Lewis. "It's the obvious
step forward for the modern games
industry. The look of DVD packaging
re-emphasises the dated, pre-historic
sheer bulk of the ancient boxes. It's
big content that sells a game, not
a big box, so yes we will make the
shift later this year."

Havas Interactive played its cards
a little closer to its chest, although a
statement from George Gcorgiou, UK

product manager, seemed to indicate
that a move was more than likely. "A
move towards standardisation of PC
CD-ROM packaging can only be a
good thing for all concerned. Most
importantly, for the consumer it
would bring an end to the confusion
that undoubtedly results from entering
a store and being presented with many
different types of packaging for one
format. Would PlayStation have been
as successful with various sizes of
packaging? One thinks not."

The move is expected to begin
sometime in October with the
re-release of Fl 2000.

DOOM'SDARKREVENGE

Although the rumours have been circulating for months,
id Software's John Carmack has finally come clean about
his next project: "We are working on a new Doom game
focusing on the single-player game experience and using
brand new technology in almost every aspect. That is all
we are prepared to say about the game," he announced
in a recent update.

The idea to commence work on Doom came about
during Quake llfs development and work has been going
on in parallel with the Quake ///mission pack, bringing
about some turmoil within the id camp as to whether the
game should go ahead. The game, due to use a new 3D
engine, is only in the early design stages, so we are unlikely
to see any screenshots before the end of the year.

JDoom is a 3D version of the original Doom games, from
www.newdoom.com.

AU62000#92PCZONE 15

CHAMP

And the wait for Championship Manager 4 will be

Eidos Interactive has finally made the announcement all bleary-eyed armchair
managers have been praying to the footballing gods for, with the news that it
has signed Sport Interactive's next three Championship ManagerWWes. The first
two will be updates, CM 00/01 this autumn and a special 10th Anniversary e6\t\on
next year. CM4, the first in the series to boast full online multiplayer gameplay, won't
appear until 2002.

CM 00/01 will have ten new leagues (including the Welsh one) and enough new features
to keep us going until the next instalment. We should have full details in the next issue. As
for CM4, we quizzed the Collyers as to how the multiplayer side of things would
work and whether they would need to simplify the game to make it work.
"Absolutely not," says Oliver, "we intend to bring the full Champ
Man experience to the online game." He's not worried about
the online footie games that will appear before CM4 (like Player
Manager Onlin^ either. "In the same way that Champ Manager
wasn't the first football management game, but is widely
acknowledged to be the best, we won't be the first online football
management game but we still intend to come out on top. Other

Champ Menl
Oliver (fore);
and Paul i
Collyer.

FOREVER

companies write football management games because they see the success of Champ
Man and want a slice of the cake. So they hire some dudes to write one, and these people
probably just see it as a stepping stone in their games industry career. We write football
management games because we love doing it."

He has good reason to feel confident. A fully working version of CM that you can play
against other people over the Web is what everyone has been dreaming of. The fact that
they are taking so much time proves that they're determined to get it right. And anyone
who complains that they'll just be updating data and charging the price of a full game

clearly doesn't understand either the Championship Manager experience or
that Sports Interactive puts into each version. It might not have
new engine and a completely different look, but we can safely say
the new features will be enough to justify its assured number
one position in the sales charts. And, just in case you're
wondering, Oliver adds that "the chances of us including
a 3D graphics engine into CM4 are about the same as the
chances of Everton winning next season's Premiership."
So now you know.

English Premier Division

Shots Or

brov

arget (Attackers)

Sergei Rebrov
f"" Dean Sturrldge
I'd Paolo Dl Canio
»«^ Glanfranco Zola
^'f* Andy Cole

Alan Shearer
'•'^ Dennis Bergkamp

Nwankwo Kanu
^" Duncan Ferguson

Michael Owen

Marcus Stewart

Andy Hunt
Jth George Weah

Paulo Wanchope

A dream start for ttie Ukrainian iad.

-pod

.vich

Who is the oldest member of the Euro 2000 England squad?

16 PCZONE#92AUG2000

WHICH BLAIR
TRILOGY?

Tony, Lionel and Linda... oops sorry, wrong Blair

There are two schools of thought surrounding the Blair Witch Project
Depending on where you sit you'll have found the film original and genuinely
creepy, or a boring stroll through the woods in the company of some very
annoying Americans. There are similar doubts about the trilogy of games
that are due to be released later this year from the Gathering Of
Developers. Some people are excited at the prospect of playing through
a few games whose purpose in life is to scare you witless; others are
wondering just how the hell a film based on psychological fear is
going to translate into three games built around the Nocturne enqlne.

We managed to get to see some work in progress at E3 and there are signs that the
cynics are going to be made to sit in the corner with their eyes closed. The three games
are being developed by Terminal Reality, Human Head and Ritual respectively, and are
currently called The Rustin Parr Investigation (set in 1 941 ), The Legend Of Coffin Rock
(1 886) and Elly Kedward's Tale (1 786). Each title is going to emphasise a different style
of gameplay, from adventure in the first, through a more Resident Evil-st^\e second outing
and into an action and spell-based finale.

Rustin Parr \s already looking (and sounding) good, and if you're a fan of the film you'll
already know the unsettling nature of his plight. Born in 1903, Rusfin was convicted of
kidnapping and killing seven children in his isolated shack in the woods. But was he guilty
and where did those voices come fi'om?

The second and third episodes are due to be released three and six months after Rustin
and the speed of the three releases and the guarantee of different slants from each comes
from the fact that the Gathering Of Developers can throw together three separate units to
code simultaneously. The games are going to be slightly smaller (and cheaper) than normal
commercial releases, which should ensure the pace is kept throughout. Whether or not the
suspense and psychological terror can be inserted is anyone's guess at the moment, but
with developers of this calibre we're in with a shout.

HIGH FLYING

DEATH DEFYING

AUfi2m#92PCZ0NE 17

SUPER STAR WARS

Star Wars does Mario Kart,
that's wtiat Star Wars: Super
Bombad Racing is all atwut in
a nutshell. Each of the eight
characters from The Phantom
Menace will have their own
distinctive vehicle and
oversized craniums, all of
which can t>e controlled over
nine courses, from the plains
of Tatooine to the Impenal
city of Coruscant. There'll be
power- ups aplenty and split-
screen action for multiplayer
fans. We reckon it could be a
cracker, even though it's aimed
at the kids. It's out in July.

NO STAR TENNIS

Ubisoft IS soon to release
All -Star Tennis 2000. which,
contrary to it's name, doesn't
feature much in the way of
household names at all - Todd
Martin, Conchita f^artinez and
Richard Krajicek are perhaps
the most well-known. Still,
there'll be plenty of lobs and
slices to be getting along with
as players strive to reach
number one across eight
different courts. Interestingly,
we are promised "unique
weather effects" which we
hope will all be experienced
outdoors. Each tennis player
will have unique skills and
some character-specific
moves. We'll test it out
next issue.

I ■i.ri.fJMiiu'Mi

VOXELS DROPPED

NuvaLoyic s autumn release
of Delta Force: Land Warrior
will see a departure from its
ageing voxel technology to a
new graphics engine, allowing
players to engage the enemy at
distances over 1,000 metres.

The action involves five
veteran soldiers undertaking
assignments ranging from
hostage rescue to assaults
on terrorist compounds.
NovaLogic also promise
speech communication
via Voice-Over-Net as well
as large-scale online action
in Novaworld.

TAKE HART

The future, it seems, belongs
to simple clay animation
techniques. That's the view
of Avalon Style Entertainment,
who has used plasticine
models for its game Clay
Dreams, an adventure that
will look more like Wallace &
Gromit \Uan Sam & Max as
it introduces 40 locations and
dozens of puzzles, all created
from common-or-garden clay.
US publisher ICwill release
the game at Christmas.

THE SIMS LARGE IT UP

It's time to find bigger accommodation

The Sims have outgrown their SimLane neighbourhood
and are ready to expand in every possible direction, first
with the arrival of the an add-on, Livin' Large, which is
due later this year, and then with a whole new game
called SimsVille for next year. As you would expect, Maxis has
stuffed Livin' Large with loads of new features, such as roach
infestations, alien abductions, lamp genies and exploding garden
gnomes. Ten new career paths will be available leading to 50 new
jobs, including an X-Fi7e.s-style UFO investigator, a golf
caddy, a programmer and the slothiest profession
in the world, games journalist. There are also
more architectural and decorative designs,
with the introduction of Las Vegas,
medieval and retro '50s and '60s looks
Just think of the possibilities, like the
dark room of a beta tester set in the

dungeon of a castle, with green and purple wallpaper and a
dodgy heart-shaped bed no woman on earth would ever come
close to. It's enough to make you shudder.

SimsVille is an altogether more ambitious project, making
what many people have been clamouring for into a reality, by
crossing The Sims with SimCity. This will give you the chance
of creating a whole town, with shops, office buildings, parks
and dark alleys, as well as managing the lives of the people living
in them. Rather than just getting stuck in the mire of daily
routine, you'll be able to explore the more complex

web of relationships of a bigger community.
Whether this means that you can follow your
Sim all the way to work, have an affair with
your secretary and insult your boss is as yet
unconfirmed. But rest assured, we'll give
you more details as soon as we have them.

NUCLEAR WINTER FOR FALLOUT

Before we start, let's get one thing straight,
Fallout: Tactics - Brottierhood Of Steel is not
Fallouts. That has yet to be announced, and
with the departure of the original Fallout
designers from Interplay, bets are on as to
whether the eageriy anticipated third game in
the series will ever see the light of day.

So in the meantime, FTBOS is an
X-Com-style turn-based strategy game set
in the post-apocalyptic nightmare of North
America. The game's storyline contains 20
core missions as well as 18 sub-levels,
enabling the player to take numerous
routes, a la Tit)erian Sun.

On each mission the player chooses
the six most suitable characters from a pool
of 30. Each squad member has a variety of
commands including scout, deploy, attack,
defend, retrieve, destroy, follow and ambush.
Characters that make it to the end of the
mission gain the appropriate experience
and return to the pool.

TCP/IP and LAN play is also a huge part
of the game. Up to 18 players will be thrown
together over eight multiplayer maps. Interplay
also seems keen to promote the 'Quick game'
option, which lets players create opposing
squads of equally destructive potential.

Another of FTBOSs notable features is the
ability to plan moves while other players or
computer opponents are calculating theirs, an
innovation that will hopefully eliminate those
idle finger-tapping moments. Tying in with this
is a new 'dying' stage where squad members
get a chance to revive fallen comrades.

Teams can take advantage of vehicles
too, although it's worth noting that drivers,
passengers and key points on the vehicle
can be targeted by your foes with some
devastating consequences.

So will FTBOSlm up to the Fallout
reputation? Find out later this year.

TUm-based strategy at its most thrilling.

Driving is not always the safest option.

The boys search for a Datsun Cherry alternator.

18 PCZONE#92AUG2000

SIGMA

Genetic engineering from the creators of Homewortd

Elebats, rhinosharks and Hammerhead spiders?
Someone's had way too much pop.

What would happen if you mated a gorilla with a
crocodile? That's the question Relic Entertainment
has been asking itself since before Homeworld was
released, and this is the basis of its next game, Sigma.
Set in 1933, Sigma casts you as an Indiana Jones-type
character marooned on a remote series of uncharted islands,
where an evil scientist has kidnapped an eminent zoologist with
the intention of taking over the world with his bizarre creations.

The islands are home to their own ecosystems and creatures,
60 in all, from cheetahs and camels, to whales and bats, all of
which can be captured and cloned using the Sigma technology.
Mate a chimp with a cheetah and you get a fast intelligent
predator that can climb trees and scratch its own arse.
Conversely, combine the genes of a whale and a bat and you

get a flying heap of blubber that is weak in combat, but can
certainly soak up a few hits. In all, we are promised millions of
possible hybrid creations, some suited to Arctic conditions, others
that will flourish in the dry and arid deserts.

Much like Homeworld, Sigma is a 3D real-time strategy game
and already eclipses that sci-fi epic in terms of graphics. The
animation is simply stunning and we are told each creature is
made up of more than 10,000 polygons apiece. The style is what
Relic's Alex Garden terms "dark Disney" and although there are
no screenshots to show you, take it from us that this description is
exactly what it looks like. Via Microsoft, Sigma is unlikely to be
released until late next year, and with millions of permutations to
work out it's hardly surprising. But it already looks a winner.
When we get some screenshots you'll be able to see for yourself.

CHICKEN RUN

Eidos signs some creature comforts

After the almost grating success of Wallace &
Gromit an6 the unstoppable merchandising that
has been draped across stores ever since, this
summer's release of Chicken Run, the first
big-budget feature film from its creators,
Aardman Animations, will no doubt prompt
another five years of getting cheap, oversized,

- 1

Chicken Run is being coded by the team

responsible for Glover.

and this time gallinaceous
T-shirts for Christmas. But for
the first fime we'll have a game
to play while wearing them.

As with the film, the game is
based on a '50s chicken farm in
Yorkshire and the idea is to perform
a great escape. The game is in
development at Blitz Studios
(formerly Interactive Studios), home
of the Oliver twins and everyone's
favourite platforming egg, Dizzy. In
control of the film's 'stars' Rocky and
Ginger, Chicken Run\N'\\\ be a 3D
adventure, featuring the entire
plasticine cast, and should hit the
shelves (along with T-shirts, stock
cubes and the inevitable McChicken Run
Sandwich^*^), just before Christmas.

CHASING THE ENGINE

Currently vvoikinq on Battle
Isle IV, Slovakian developers
Cauldron have announced
details on its new action
game. Chaser, wtiicli, in
ttieir ovi/n words, will use a
new 3D engine to rival ttiat
of t)0tti Quake III and Unreal
Tournament.

Going by ttie name of
Cloak. Cauldron's engine
will be able to render
ptioto-realistic textures and
facial expressions, as well as
including support for a number
of otfiei features -- all of which
we'd be hard pushed to
explain The game, which is
currently without a publisher,
will be primarily a single-
player title with role playing
elements, based in the future
starring a hero suffering from
severe memory loss.

MYSTIN EXILE

Althougti unlikely to set our
charts on fire, Myst III: Exile
IS sure to sell millions when
It's released next spring.
Developed by the team
responsible for the first two
games, as well as the recent
Stephen King's F13 and Star
Trek: Hidden Evil (all of which
were diabolical), Presto will
introduce a 360'' movement
system and five new ages to
explore. Mattel will be
publishing the game and
Martin Korda. who won PC
ZO/Vf's Coffee Maker Of The
Year competition, will be
reviewing it. Well done Martin,

G Expect to see the
poster everywhere
this summer.

RENALIN PUMPING
BONE CRUNCHING

DESPERADOS

Commandos dons a stetson and goes west

Developed by Euro coders
Spellbound - with Infogrames
lined up as publisher -
Desperados looks set to be the first
of many PC adventures starring
gutsy gunslinger, John Cooper.

Due for release later in the year,
this isometric real-time strategy is set
during the US War of Session and
follows the antics of Mr Cooper and
his five fearless comrades as they
attempt to track down a mysterious
bandit-leader known as El Diablo.

To cut a long story short
Desperados is basically Comnmndos in
the Wild West. A similar amount of
strategic options are on offer except
that instead of Nazis you've got

Mexican bandits and instead of jeeps
there are horses.

Played over 25 day and night
missions, the graphics perfectly
recreate the tumbleweed-infested
wastelands and towns of New
Mexico. As far as music goes, a
twangy The Good, The Bad, And The
^S^y type soundtrack should seal the
atmosphere in tight. Gameplay
elements include gunfights galore,
stealing horses and possibly enjoying
the delight of a bagnio or two.

So, if you liked Commandos and
have a thing about spaghetti westerns,
Desperados should be right up your
alley. It's certainly better than renting
Wild Wild West out on video anyway...

Engaging in a little bit of fisty-cuffs witti one of the locals.

GUNSLINGER

The spaghetti western shoots its way onto the PC

Ciiaracters can enter buildings and wallc around.;

As well as fists and guns, sabotage is another highly successful tactic.

As {(Desperados wasn't enough for
armchair Clint Eastwoods to be
getting on with, Activision is
also hoping to jump on the Wild
West chuck wagon with Gunslinger,
a third-person action adventure in
development by the creators of
Drakan and using a modified version
of the exact same 3D engine.

On show at E3 for the PlayStation
2 with a PC version to follow, the
game offers more of a freeform
adventure than we first suspected
as players can choose to approach
each mission how they see fit. If
there has been a robbery in one
town, you can either seek out the
culprits with a view to bringing

them to justice or helping them out
with their next heist.

Gunslinger will introduce some
role-playing elements as players
increase their skills in gun fighting,
horseriding and even gambling, as
well as more traditional skills such
as charisma and notoriety as players
interact with the game's multitude
of NPCs. On the action side, we are
promised plenty of shoot-outs, with
townsfolk rimning for cover and
tumbleweed rolling across the plains
We don't know whether there'll be
any multiplayer options, but seeing
as it will primarily be a PS2 game,
don't expect it to be a priority.
Release is set for the end of the year.

20 PCZONE#92AUG2000

British liorror maestro Ciive Barlcer witti a game of liis own

Electronic Arts, purveyors of formulaic sports
titles and driving games, has bolstered its
line-up by signing DreamWorks' new horror
FPS. Using a modified version of the Unreal
Tournament engine and relying heavily on the
fright-filled fingers of best-selling British
horror writer, Clive Barker, Undying looks
set to combine the intensity o( Resident
Evil and the sneakiness of Thief.

Set in the '20s, you play Magnus
Wolfram, a World War I veteran who
has the unnerving ability to see dead
people - The Sixth Sense anyone?
Obviously with Barker's influence
expect plot twists and shocks aplenty.

Graphically, the new particle effects
system means that many in-game objects
will be affected by wind. This, in
conjunction with a revolutionary
cloth-modelling technique, means that
curtains, delicate cobwebs, flames and
more, all ripple and waver according

to the speed of the virtual wind. If you walk into a
room and a cold, unnatural breeze slams the doors
shut and extinguishes the candles, the chances are
that something terrible is afoot - it's the kind of
imaginative atmosphere rarely witnessed in a FPS.

There's no skimping when it comes to firepower
either. Classic anti-zombie weaponry along the
lines of shotguns, dynamite, scythes and spear
guns (which you can use to pin ghouls to the
wall), feature alongside eight offensive spells
that can be amplified for greater
effect. This means there's
plenty of scope for creative
dismemberment.
The finished game will boast ten
areas including an old Irish estate house,
an ancient monastery, caves, catacombs,
a pirate's cove and the mystical city of
Oneiros. A multiplayer version is also
planned, but we'll know more
about that closer to its autumn
release date.

Oooh, what big claws
you have grandma.

AW DROPPING

EART STOPPING

MADNESS. .

(iiiliriiifc

Motocross Madness is back

• Wilder action

• Hair raising stunts

• Vast new terrain

• Spectacular landscapes

• New 'Enduro' & 'Pro Circuit'
career modes

• 3D Track editor

• Multi-player action

• And more

Madness - it's in your blood.
www.madness2.co.uk

Coming soon on PC CD-Rom

msn

Gaming Zone

www 2onc.msn.co.uk

'..J^YAMAHA

^^^^

Microsoft'

Where do you want to go today?*

D 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Microsoft Logo. Where do you want to go today? and Motocross Madness 2 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation m the U.S. and/or other
:x)untries. YAMAHA is a registered trademark and is used with permission of Yamaha Motor Co.. Ltd. HONDA®, the Wing® logo. CRtB. XR and the distinctive likenesses of its motorcycles are owned by HONDA MOTOR CO..LTD. The KTM
rrademarks are used by Microsoft with express written permission of KTM Sportmotorcycle USA. Inc.

rniHITOCIIIlllTS

CHARTS

All you need to know about which games are selling
by the shedload, plus the buzz on the streets -
where you tell us what you think

77^0 5/ms: still at the top after 17 weeks.

THE

TOP 10

MAY

JUN

TITLE

DEVELOPER

PUBLISHER

SCORE

CHAMP MAN 99/00

SPORTS INTERACTIVE

EIDOS

92%

THE SIMS

MAXIS

86%

UNREAL TOURNAMENT

EPIC/DIGITAL EXTREMES

INFOGRAMES

90%

DELTA FORCE 2

NOVALOGIC

63%

C&C:TiBERIAN SUN

WESTWOOD

82%

SWAT 3: CLOSE QUARTERS BATTLE

SIERRA

89%

HALF-LIFE: GENERATIONS

VALVE

SIERRA

95%

TACHYON:THE FRINGE

NOVALOGIC

65%

AGE OF EMPIRES II: THE AGE OF KINGS

ENSEMBLE STUDIOS

MICROSOFT

89%

STARLANCER

DIGITAL ANVIL/WARTHOG

MICROSOFT

81%

iVB ■M iiimi iiiiiii 1 1

II IIIIIII iV^^H^^

IRRijl.^rjfi

MAY JUN TITLE

DEVELOPER PUBLISHER

SCORE

1 1 THE SIMS

MAXIS EA

86%

2 2 CHAMP MAN 99/00

SPORTS INTERACTIVE EIDOS

92%

3 3 SOLDIER OF FORTUNE

RAVEN SOFTWARE ACTIVISION

80%

9 4 ADEN: THE AGE OF KINGS

ENSEMBLE STUDIOS MICROSOFT

89%

NE 5 TACHYON: THE FRINGE

NOVALOGIC NOVALOGIC

65%

NE 6 EURO 2000

EA SPORTS EA

70%

5 7 DELTA FORCE 2

NOVALOGIC NOVALOGIC

63%

8 8 STARLANCER

DIGITAL ANVIL^VARTHOG MICROSOFT

81%

RE 9 HALF-UFE: GENERATIONS

VALVE/GEARBOX SIERRA

95%

4 10 F1 2000

EA SPORTS EA

75%

(Compiled by Chart Track © ELSPA 2000}

PC ZONE and Virgin have teamed up to give you the chance to win
every game In the current Top 10. All you have to do to enter Uie draw
Is answer this simple question:

rac/^yo/i features the vocal talents of Bruce Campbell.
Which series of horror films is he most well known for?

Just answer the above question and send It on a postcard, along
witti a// the information requested, to the address below.

O Name /Address /Postcode /Daytime phone number /Email /Job title/
Company name /Age if under 18

O Please tell us if you do not wish to receive details of further special offers or new

products from other companies

O Are you a current subscriber to PC ZONE?

Answers on a postcard to: PC ZONE Chart Compo (CPCZ001 A), Dennis
Publishing, PO Box 154, Bradford BD1 5RZ. Closing date: Thursday 27 July.

O Terms and conditions: Winners will be notified by post. No cash alternative. Prizes not
necessarily as shown. No correspondence will be entered into. The Ed's decision is final
All the other usual competition rules, conditions and restrictions apply

mi7.7. ON THE STREETS

"Well, with both StarLanceran6 Tachyonm
the top ten, it looks like space combat sims
are making a bit of a comeback, although as
expected they're not selling as well as the big
name stuff in the top four. Great to see Half-Life
still hanging in there, outselling even the most
up-to-date first-person games. Developers, take
note - FPS fans do want storylines."

Mike Rovardi, Middlesbrough

"Oh dear, a chart of great old swingers and
recent boring titles. It's nice to see Euro 2000
isn't top of the charts at least, it's far worse
than all the FIFAs up to 1998. Roll on next
month when we will hopefully have Vampire
3in6 MDK2\o talk about."

Mike Price, Herefordshire

"It's surprising to see The Sims at number one
(given that it's boring after approximately two
days) and Soldier Of Fortune seW 'mq less despite
its probably superior longevity. I have no
explanation for the sales of CM99/00, other than
maybe an increase in the number of people with
sadomasochistic tendencies. I can't see anything
that's anywhere near competing with the time
spent in the charts by the force that is Half-Life"
Rob Medlock, Peterborough

" Tachyon is far better than StarLancer an6 it's
good to see it triumph over it's big-name
competitor. I've been playing it online for weeks
and it knocks Digital Anvil's game into a cocked
hat. StarLancer is \us\ another Wing
Commander game. I completed it in 14 hours
and I'll never go back to it, even online."

Dan, Oxbridge

CHART

COMMENT

BASED ON CHART TRACK TOP 10

A Strange chart this
month that seems to be
bucking the trend of
late, where new games
have been getting high
chart positions on the
week of release, only to
drop out again two
weeks later. Relatively
new releases Gunshipt,
Evolva, Devil Inside and
Lemmings have all
failed to make any
serious impact. Within
the Top 10 itself The
Sims, CM99/00 ant^
Soldier Of Fortune are
doing well, especially
CM99/00, which hasn't
left the charts for years.

What surprises me
as a space fan - here
was me thinking they
weren't popular - is
that there are two in
the charts: StarLancer
and Tachyon. I only
wish Allegiance was up
there, but seeing as it's
online-only, I wasn't
hopeful to begin with.
Richie Shoemaker

1 YEAR AGO...

1 star Wars: Episode I -
The Phantom Menace

(Activision)

iSiarTtek: Birth Of The
Federation (Hasbro)

3 Championship
Manager 3 (Eidos)

4 Rollercoaster Tycoon
(Hasbro)

5 Star Wars: Episode i-
Racer (Activision)

2 YEARS AGO...

iWoridCupOS^E^;

2 X-Files: Unresbicted
Access (Fox)

3 Ultimate Soccer
Manager 98 (Sierra)

4 Championship
Manager 97/98 f£/£/os;

5 Might & Magic VI
Soft)

5 YEARS AGO...

1 Full Throttle (O/yrp/n;
2lndyCar Racing

(Virgin)

3 Discworid (Psygnosis)

4 Virtual Poo\ (Interplay)

5 Star Wars: Daric
Forces (Virgin)

22 PC ZONE #92 AUG 2000

iMniii

A WINNING FORMULA

The 3D sequences are the best
we've seen in a Formula 1
management game.

EA's F1 Manager is in pole position

To add to its impressive back catalogue of
official sports licenses, EA plans to release
their first Formula 1 team management
game, which unlike Hasbro's recent similar
effort, includes "proper" 3D race highlights.

During a visit to the PC ZONE cavern, EA showed
off a recent build of the game, and fairly impressive
it was too, considering we had no Fl buffs at hand
to appreciate it (none of us can drive).

Like all EA Sports titles the game features the
typical Sky Sports presentation we've all come to
expect, while at the same time remains simple
to navigate and easy to set up. What surprised us

Each team has Its own coloured Interface.

most of all, however, was that there was
very little in the way of technical know how
needed to play the game. Fl Manager is very
much a strategy game, geared towards race
tactics, personal management and
sponsorship rather than testing
sprockets in wind tunnels.
A good thing we reckon,
though many of you may
think differently.

Based on data from last year's
race season, Fl Manager will be
released next month.

Jim Rosenthal will provide commentary before each race.

BEACH HEAD FOR CLOSE COMBAT V

Atomic Games, developer of all four previous Close Combat
titles, seemed to have lost its way with its last effort, but
we're confident the fifth game - subtitled Utah Beach-
will see the team get back on form, promising a fully
dynamic campaign model where you'll be able to
direct multiple battle groups as you lead American
or German forces across the Cherbourg
peninsula. The units under your control will
also carry their stats from mission to mission,
as they fight over the course of the first month
of the Normandy landings.

In a bid to make the game as realistic as
possible, new sounds will be incorporated, modelled
on each of the WWII weapons, and we can expect
support from naval units. The game is out in September,
through Mattel Interactive.

German defences can
be attacked by naval
bombardment.

You'll have to save more than just Private Ryan to win this

PC GAMING WORLD

Intense'

AWARDED MAY ZDDD

www.slorloncer.co.uk

SETTLERS GO FORTH

Blue Byte has announced that the fourth
instalment of the Settlers series is in
production, and is being scheduled for
a November release.
The story will revolve around a character called
Morbus, the most powerful of all the gods, and his
nation of Dark People who arc banished to Farth
after they revolt against him. Morbus
and his crew hate everything that's
green and set about destroying the
Earth's plant life.

Blue Byte is promising
a host of new features for
Settlers IV. As you can see
from the screen shots, the
graphics have improved no
end, and the zoom function
from the last game has been

enhanced to make it even easier to distinguish
between your characters and the opposition.
The introduction of an entirely new race (the
Dark People), will also add greater scope for
strategy, as you learn about their tactics and goals.

You'll be able to take the helm of one of three
races, the Romans, Mayas and Vikings. Each one
of these will have their own individual
campaigns and missions, which will in
some way involve stopping the Dark
People from destroying the eanh's
vegetation. To aid you in your
quest to overthrow this evil,
there will be a greater selection
of army units and weapons
than in previous games, such
as squad leaders, spell-casting
priests and warships.

Trading and espionage have also been given a
makeover, with transport and trading now possible
not just within, but also outside of your territory. You
can also use saboteurs to destroy enemy buildings.

^The story revolves around Morbus,
the most powerful of all the gods,
and his nation of Dark People^

With a whole new, easier-to-use interface.
Settlers IV looks as if it will be a significant step
forward from the last title. With its new improved
graphics and interface, and greater amount of
tactical possibilities, it may well enhance the
already excellent reputation of the Settlers series,
and it sounds like real-time combat will be central
to the game, unlike in previous outings.

The graphics have been Improved since the last game.

There's going to be a whole host of new units and
weapons to fight the Dark People with.

CULTURES

Having worked on games such as Albion an6 Settlers II,
German developer Funatics hopes to take on the mighty
Blue Byte at its own game with the cartoon-style
real-time strategy game Cultures.

As the head of a burgeoning colony of Vikings, Cultures
tasks you with nurturing its development as it strives in
the wilderness of the newly discovered American
continent. With the overall aim to gather fragments of a

Each character has a number of stats to keep tabs on.

24 PCZONE#92ltUG200g

comet, the game is predominantly mission-based,
centring on exploration and trade to prosper, and resource
management and combat to overcome the various
indigenous tribes. Each character will have its own
personality and will age, marry and 'get it on' throughout
the game. Although not accurate in the historical sense,
Cultures sUouliU have broad appeal. Release is planned
for August, just ahead of Settlers IV.

O This man is obviously
of no use to you and
must be terminated.

Backgrounds are pre-rendered, but feature a
hell of a lot of detail.

Combat will play a big role.

IN COLD BLOOD

Espionage and intrigue from tlie creators off Broken Sword

Those UK purveyors of fine point-
and-click adventures Revolution
Software have decided to take the
genre in a new direction with the
cold war thriller In Cold Blood.

Previously well known for such oldies
as Lure Of The Temptress and Beneath A
Steel Sky, as well as two Broken Sword
games, Revolution has been quietly
working on In Cold Blood for three years
and has only recently broken its silence.
We're told the game will surface on PC
in the autumn.

Set in the fictional Russian republic of
Vogia, the game sees you in control of MI6
agent John Cord, sent out to investigate the
disappearance of an American agent whose
country is financing a bunch of freedom
fighters. While there, he comes across a
Blue Nephiline and is drawn into a race to
retrieve the substance. Cord is caught,
tortured and, somewhat predictably, suffers
a bout of amnesia. But you soon come to
realise this the least of his worries.

Although mission-based, In Cold Blood
expands the traditional adventure format

and takes much of its influence from
games such as Thief, Resident Evil and
Metal Gear Solid and, for an adventure,
will feature more than its fair share of
stealth and action. What we are most
intrigued by, however, is the story, which
promises as much in the way of twists and
turns as the soon-to-be-released Deus Ex.
Professional scriptwriters have been
on hand to provide the content and it
is already evident that we have an
extremely original game coming our
way very, very soon.

IIIURS215C

Topware Interactive has already begun work on
Earth 3, sequel to the recently released Earth
2150 , which received a well-deserved 86 per
cent last issue. Again a 3D real-time strategy
affair, the game follows on from Earth's
destruction with now just two sides fighting it
out, against each other and a new alien species,

all for the newly terraformed
Mars colonies. Earth3\N\\\ feature an
enhanced interface and graphics engine
with the underground features expanded to
include the building of entire subterranean
bases. The game's release date is set
for the end of next year

SHORTS

EA SPORTS 2001

Take the entire EA Sports
range from this year and add
one and you've pretty much
guessed what's coming this
winter trom the world's biggest
publisher. Madden NFL 2001
NBA Live 2001, Triple Play
2001, NHL 2001 and Tiger
Wmis PGA Tour 2001 mke
up the bulk of them. The ones
we're really looking forward to
though, are FA Premier
League Stars 2001 and FA
Premier League Football
Manager 2001. Ho doubt
there'll also be FIFA 2001 and
F1 OT/ as well. Did we miss
anything? Probably not.

GIANTS 00 EURO 2000

Out now, in time to ride the
Euro 2000 euphoria, is the
totally offline Giant Killers:
Furo Manager, the Ctiamp
Ma/?- style footie management
game aimed at the
glue-sniffing under- 16s.
New features include new
sounds and a training mode.

TARRANT ON PC

Although you won t be able
to phone a friend, ask the
audience or win a million
smackeroonies. Eidos will
at least let you think you can
when it releases Who Wants
To Be a Millionaire? later this
Autumn. Chris Tarrant will be
lending his ubiquitous vocal
talents to the game, which
will feature plenty of simple
questions, after 1 5 of which
players will be able to win a
million virtual pounds. "The
format lends itself perfectly to
PC and console games," said
a marketing person v^rtio
clearly has no idea.

Just artwork for
now, unfortunately.

PC BAMEPLAY

INCREDIBLE

AWARDED 9/lD, GOLD AWARD*

www.slorloncer.co.uk "

Is no game spared from the filth of prostitution?

Your Island from above - is the climate suitable for tourism?

TROPICAL TRAIN STORM

Phil Steinmeyer, the creator of Railroad Tycoon, has taken a break from trains to
create the SimCity-esciue Tropico, due out in spring 2001 . Tropico puts you in charge of an
under-developed Latin island where you rule as a religious fanatic, communist dictator, or
even-handed democrat, with the aim of turning it into a successful economic venture.

This can be done in a number of ways, not least of which is siding with a world
superpower such as the USA or Russia in order to secure arms contracts, so you can
keep your impoverished inhabitants in line. There are of course many other strategies

you could pursue, including building up a thriving tourist industry, or possibly exporting
large quantities of coffee.

One novel feature of Tropico is the way you can create many personality traits at the start
of the game. For example, you can give yourself flatulence, which creates a negative impact
during meetings, or you can endow yourself with other charms in order to ensure those
sleepless nights are not spent alone. Whichever way you play it, Tropico should contain
the same addictive ingredients that made the Railroad Tycoon series legendary.

Get the pizzas In chaps. ]

Extreme close ups.

STILL PLAYS A
MEAN POOL HALL

Still our favourite pool simulator after two years. Virtual Pool \s making a welcome
return to the PC later this year. Virtual Pool 3 irom Interplay will introduce a new career
mode where players start with $50 with the aim to beat top US women's pool shark
Jeanette Lee (we've never heard of her either.)

There will be eight themed pool halls, a fully-customisable camera and an enhanced
physics engine, which considering ^P? still has one of the best, or at least most fun,
should make its sequel an enticing prospect. Online we can expect woridwide
rankings, leagues and even spectator support. A free dedicated server is being set
up and the whole thing should kick off in the autumn.

Upgrade your
buggy with more
than 15 weapons.

In a similar vein to V2000 \s Infestation irom David Braben and his team at Frontier
Developments. The sci-fi arcade game adds considerably to V200(7s flying action by
offering you an attack buggy that can transform into six different vehicles by the end of
the game, with the aim being to dispatch hordes of invading
aliens intent on taking over the Earth. It will
feature 24 non-linear missions, set across as
many worlds, each requiring a quick trigger
and a little brain power (a slice of strategy
is required). We've had preview code sitting
on our hard drives for a couple of weeks
and we can tell you now that although the
game is unlikely to set the worid alight, it's
a hell of a lotta fun in a retro kind of way.
We'll review the final version next issue,
when hopefully we'll be able to get through
a few more missions and try out the five
multiplayer modes.

Fight over arctic, desert, Jungle and lava
wortds. Plus a few more.

There are more than 40 types of enemy to
dispatch, some more bizarre than others.

26 PCZONE#92AU62000

ROWAN'S FINEST HOUR

MiG Alley coders return to World War II to take to the skies over the English Channel

There are a number of things to look forward
to in Rowan's Battle Of Britain, not least
of which is that it's being coded by the
developers of Flying Corps and MiG Alley,
two of the finest games to cover WWI and the
Korean War, respectively. Rowan also developed
Overlord, a fond favourite from those heady days
before 3D acceleration, a game so good that Paul
*I hate flight sims' Mallinson even played it. Now
Rowan is going back to WWII and, unlike recent
games, intends to cover Britain's attempt to keep
the Germans at bay in the summer of 1940.

Much like MiG Alley, Battle Of Britain aims
to again provide a dynamic campaign structure,
with players able to take an influential role as the
commander-in-chief of air operations of either
side, setting up transfers and supply lines. As a
fighter pilot, players will take a back seat in such
duties, instead concentrating on air battles and
staying aloft against massive odds as Rowan
plans to be able to amass more than 1,000 planes
in the sky at any one time. As a commander this
will represent something of a challenge but as a
pilot it will look nothing short of spectacular,

especially since we are promised a "dynamic cloud
system", which will change on the fly, so to speak,
according to the weather.

In terms of what will be on offer to fly, we
can expect Mark 1 Spitfires and Hurricanes,
Germany's Mel09 and Mel 10, as well as the
Ju87 dive-bomber. We should be able to take
the gunners chair in a variety of bombers too.
The release date is set for the end of the year and
on the basis of Rowan's past games, MiG Alley
especially. Battle Of Britain is a game we can't
wait to get our hands on.

Bombers over the Isle of Dogs.

More ttian 1,000 planes can appear on screen at once.

PC GAMER

^BLINDING'

AWARDED GAME OF THE MONTH, JUNE ZODO

^^^^^

www.slorlflncer.co.uk

Drive and steal cars, CTA style.

Each of the city's Inhabitants will have their own agenda and personality.

THE GANG'S BACK

Lighting your farts can be dangerous.

Now it has to be said, the original Gangsters
didn't really impress us when it was released
early last year. Not only was it hard to play,
it wasn't helped by an interface that had us
cradling the manual in our laps from start to
finish. However, the idea was a corker and it seems the developers at Hothouse Creations
have gone back to that idea and started afresh, with all-new graphics, a real-time combat
model and a far more streamlined interface.

Once again set in the fictional city of Temperance, Gangsters 2 \]as expanded its borders
to take in an entire state and the 15 major cities therein. In keeping with the Godfattierieel
mobsters will be able to nurture an entire family, taking key figures with them to head up
new branches in each city, lending the campaign a dynamic feel.

The cities themselves will be detailed and heavily populated, less so at night, with cops
on patrol. Prostitution, gambling, extortion and assassination will all be means to increase
your standing in this prohibition-era strategy game. If the interface is made simpler, we
should all have an easier time of it than before. Gangsters 2 \s set for release next January.

TURBAN CHAOS

Full of Eastern promise, Arabian Nights vj\\\ be the next action adventure from Visiware
Studios, the team currently engaged in the Unreaf-^mred movie tie-in of Planet Of The
Apes, due to be released this autumn by Fox Interactive. Similar in look and style to the
abortive release of Prince Of Persia 3D, Arabian Nights promises a lot more in terms of
hand-to-hand combat and 3D adventuring, offering, we're told, plenty of mythical beasts,
spells, evil sultans and belly dancing. Visiware plans to publish the game itself, via its
website (www.visiware.com), with visitors able to download it in sections, only
coughing up the readies it seems - the website is only in French at the moment and
our understanding of the language basic at best - when completing the game . If
you have the required GCSEs, feel free to check it out.

Full of Eastern promise.

SKIP TO THE LOO

Get out the rope and tie your hair in bunches chaps, because Ubi Soft is preparing to
release Virtual Skipper, a simulation of. . . (checks press release) sailing. Damn.

Land lubbers that we are, the thought of boarding a real yacht and circumnavigating
the worid's oceans is enough to send us running to the little boys room. Thankfully, a game
that allows you to do the same from the comfort of your armchair isn't quite so bad. We
wouldn't claim to be too excited though, not seeing as you take the helm of three types of
boat and race across San Francisco Bay. It's just not our thing, but for those who enjoy life
on the ocean waves, there'll be wind shifts and currents to worry about, fleet and match
racing and more than a few litres of the blue stuff. It should be sailing into shops next month.

Not the most realistic representation of
the Golden Gate bridge we've ever seen.

28 PCZONE#92AU620(IO

EXPERIENCE THE FUTURE OF SPACE COMBAT

OUT OF DESPERATION, COURAGE IS BORN.

SGonlincen

^4^M ''""^ ''"^'^""^ ^"^ COMMANDER AND PRIVATEER SERIES

£:2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rij^hts reserved. Microsoft. MSN and Where do you want to Ro today? are mtnmM ^WM m^ ^M MMM

Diflilnir^wTl ^^^^^^ffi^l Gsmlng Zon6 either registered trademark or trademarks of Microsoft corp. m the us and/or other countries, other products ^^-m^^^

UiyiiUl yjllJ mmmmm ww* zone mwi co.uK and company names mentioned herein may tje trademarks of their respective owners. Where dO yOU want tO gO today?"

ROMERO SPEAKS,
WORLD SHRUGS

Daikatana is great, at least according to its creator, the
much-maligned John Romero. Going firmly against
popular opinion, the hirsute designer beamed: "I'm very
proud of Daikatana; it delivers all the fast-paced action
and thrills that I had hoped for and I consider it the best
game I've worked on." If Daikatana is the best game he's
worked on, that would suggest that there's some truth in
the rumours that Romero's contribution to Doom and
0(/a/ce amounted to little more than playing Death Match,
drinking Dr Pepper and brushing his hair. However,
undeterred by the almost universal backlash, Romero is
already bigging up his next game, announcing: "I love
making FPSs. There are tons of people making RPGs
and RTSs, but there's not too many first-person shooter
games out there. I love that style of game, so I'm going to
keep on doing it and making it a little different each time.
Daikatana used principles from Quake as a baseline and
so my next title will use elements from Daikatana as a
baseline for its content. It's an evolutionary process, as
each game takes elements from its predecessors, but
adds to and improves upon them." God help us. Still on
the subject of the ludicrously delayed and embarrassingly
poor game, there is already talk of a patch. Noel
Stephens of ION Stonn admitted: "I am sure there will be
a good handful of bugs sent our way once Daikatana gets
into full circulation. As for when the patch is going to be
released? Can't say... because it is really a matter of how
many more bugs pop up between now and the next few
weeks." Don't hold your breath.

Back in the real world, an intriguing £2 million legal
wrangle is set to kick off in Belgium this September
between leading international footballers and major
games publishers. A group of clubs including PSV
Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Slavia Prague and Vicenza,
plus players such as Romanian international Georghie
Hagi, have lodged complaints about their names and
likenesses being used without consent. Among those
accused are Eidos, Sony, EA and Infogrames.

In further football-related madness, it has been
revealed that Ant out of Ant & Dec is hopelessly addicted
to Championship Manager. The erstwhile teen popster
admitted: "I've recently got into Championship Manager,
but once you start it'll ruin your relationships. I've been
sacked by Newcastle because I wasn't any good, and I'm
now with Colchester." Stick with it, lad.

And finally, the redneck US state of Tennessee is
considering adding video games to its current obscenity
laws. Apparently, a bill ruling out "nudity, sexual content,
excess violence or sado-masochistic abuse and content
harmful to minors" could prohibit a large number of
games. At least it might keep Daikatana off the shelves.

TANK PLATOON!

DECOIVIMISSIONED

The tracks have come off for Tank PlatoonI

I ome of the finest combat
simulations have come from the
, MicroProse stable and when it
came to armoured combat, there
was no better series than Tank Platoon!
- the third of which was to have been
released later this summer.

What was so appealing about Tank
Platoon! 3 was that it was to be made
compatible with Gunship 3, allowing
muliiplayer gamers to take attack
helicopters on to the same battlefield
as tanks and infantry. Unfortunately
Gunship 3 was renamed to just Gunship!
(the exclamation mark added to denote
a more arcade-like experience), it
was released unfinished and not to
put too fine a point on it, it stank.
Hence publisher Hasbro's decision
to ditch Tank Platoon!.

A statement from Hasbro read:
"We had hoped to be able to expand
combat simulations beyond the
traditional niche, to broaden their
appeal and make them a viable market
for us to participate in. But what we
learned from our recent release of
Gun.ship.', is that we're challenged to
attract the hardcore fans and, at the
same time, the more casual gamers.
As both Gunship! and Tank Platoon!
shared a common engine and game
design, we saw little opportunity to
rectify the situation and made the
decision not to move forward with
Tank Platoon!."

Maybe if Hasbro had stuck to the
plan and made both Gunship! and Tank
Platoon! the simulations they were
meant to be, the series would have
ended on a high. As it is 2 will be
the last simulation from Hasbro, a game
which we still have high hopes for.

0 U RUO ST WANT i: D

We've been asking ourselves recently what we'd most like to see that hasn't yet been announced. Much of
what we came up with will never happen, but you never can tell. Anyway, here's our Top 10 of what we'd
like to see on PC in the future. (Dailcatana 2 is in there purely for comedy value, you understand.) In a future
issue we shall be following this lot up with a big feature, so keep your eyes peeled.

1 Half-Life 2 Valve would be mad not to

2 The Return Of Sam & Max All depends on whether LucasArts wants to basically

3 Elite Online Considering Bite 4 won't be out until 2002, it may well be totally online

4 Star Wars Vs Star TM Highly unlikely, although an unofficial mod for l-Wahs on the way

5 ISS International Superstar Soccer

. Possible, Konami has a deal with Microsoft after all

6 Gran TUrismo 2000 No chance, but watch out for a PS2 emulator next year

7 Theme Sex Farm EA gave us a firm "er, no" on this one

8 The Clangers Imagine Lemmings on acid, actually don't

O Speedball 2000 We're told no, but we still remain optimistic

10 Daikatana 2 Thankfully, we'll all be six foot under by the time it comes out

30 PCZONE#92AU62000

We catch up with the games that have gone missing

More puzzles than a jigsaw factory

After 17 years Dirk's still scared stift

RETURN TO THE
DRAGON'S LAIR

A mere 17 years after its arcade release, Dragon's Laihs set to finally appear on the PC in
autumn 2001 . Developed by Dragonstone and to be published by Blue Byte software,
Dragon's Lair 3D stars the hapless hero Dirk and the pathetic Princess Daphne as they
again attempt to escape a deadly lair.

Featuring 16 levels packed with all manner of puzzles and traps, as well as a
supporting cast of over 30 creatures (including many from the original arcade game),
expect a third-person action/adventure with a slant on character-driven comedy rather
than typical dungeon-exploring dross.

Helping to achieve that goal is the original Dragon's /.a/r creator and now film animator
Don Bluth. Bluth has taken a break from Hollywood to write the script for the game and
offer his expertise where needed. It's a tactic that seems to be paying off too: so far his
influence has endowed Dirk with 150 separate animations, allowing him to run, jump, roll,
sneak, climb, crouch, crawl, swing, push, lift and somersault.

If you're looking for laughs rather than Lara in your action/adventure, this could be
the one for you. More details soon.

TICKIERTAPE

STARTS-t-i- An official mission pack for Unreal Tournament'is in development,
reportedly a cyberpunk-style team-based affair. UT\s also up for a re-release in the
form of a Game Of The Year edition. New maps and four extra characters are promised.
++STOP++ Hasbro has announced Master Of Orion 3, the sequel to one of the best
space-based empire-building games ever. Enhanced diplomatic and multiplayer
options are promised along with both turn-based and real-time play. ++STOP++
Infogrames has announced High Impact Paintball, a team-based FPS for solo and
multiplay, one where no one gets killed for a change. ++STOP++ At last Hasbro has
given us a release date for what is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly anticipated
driving simulations of recent years, Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 3. Barring any huge
cock-ups, it should hit your local store on July 28. Expect a review of the exact same
copy next issue. Hoorah. ++STOP++ There's talk that Bungle's //a/o could shift from
a pure third-person game to a hybrid of third- and first-person views. ++STOP++
Red Storm has announced that its space-based strategy game UFS Vanguard \s
"on hold" while it diverts resources onto other projects for PS2. The game will
now be released early next year. ••••i-ENDS

Over 30 different creatures roam the lair.

The first Jet-propelled plane test didn't go according to plan.

SUDDEN STRIKE

LAST SEEN PCZ#90

ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE February 2000
NOW OUT August 2000

Since featuring the demo on our cover disk back in PCZU90, we've received further
information about one of the year's most keenly anticipated RTS games. The initial delay
for Sudden Strikes release was caused by publisher problems. CDV had a deal with a
major publishing company, but after that fell through, it decided to release the game
itself. Time was needed to raise the money to make this possible, and the situation was
somewhat aided when CDV recently floated on the German stock market. The current
delay has been put down to a summer recess which, CDV state, is "innate to the industry".
At least we've finally been given a release date, which will be August 31 . We've also been
assured that due to huge amounts of testing, the game will
be of an extremely high quality. We hope they're right.

Max Payne
promises some
exciting solo action.

MAX PAYNE

LAST SEEN PCZ#86
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE Spring 2000
NOWOUTTBC

After being in development for more than three
years, Max Payne is finally reaching completion. The
Gathering Of Developers chaps are currently honing the
gameplay and content of the game, and are leaving any
graphical bonuses until last. The game's focus has
changed somewhat since we last featured it in the mag. Instead of concentrating on
the multiplayer side of things, Gathering Of Developers has decided to pay more attention
to the single-player gameplay. We've been promised many new, exciting and interesting
ideas for the solo player game. If these turn out well, there'll be plenty to look forward to,
and with visuals this impressive, Max Payne could well be one of the hits of the year.

PRINCE NASEEM BOXING

LAST SEEN />CZ#86
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE Spring 2000
NOW OUT Canned

With the PC bereft of any decent boxing games, we
all hoped that Prince Naseem Boxing might be the
game to rejuvenate the genre. However, that now
looks increasingly unlikely because Codemasters
have gone and canned the project. PNBmW still be
available in this country for the PSX, but due to an
apparent lack of interest from UK PC gamers in boxing
games, the developers thought it best to stop the project.

AUG2000#92PCZONE 31

MAILBOX

Angry, angry, angry, that's you lot, if it's not one thing it's another.
This month: Daikatana, late developers, and even psychologists
are lined up for a kiclcing

O ANSWERED BY Chris Anderson

CONTACT INFO

PORCHES ARE
COOL

Write to us, and if your letter Is , 77 ■

selectedasLetterOfTheMofith I 'hink the analysis

we'll send you a prize. '^at you wrote about the

Need For Speed: Porsche

WRITE TO lAallbox, PC ZONE, Unleashed, PCZ #90, was

Dennis Publishing, 19 Bolsover absolutely terrible. I not only
Street, London W1 P 7HJ three Porsches and am

EMAIL letters.pczone@dennis.co.iik terribly satisfied with them,

J ^i^jj^j^ ^j^gj Q^jj. comment

CHAT FORUM If you've got somethifiy u o u i

on how Porsche owners only
pressing to say, check out the 'lively' chat . ^ . ^

^ ^ own the car to say that we

forum on our wet)site. Point your browser • . . • • cc

are rich and msecure is so off
at www.pczone.co.1* for further info. . .1 .u- i
base. 1 honestly think you are

all a bunch of retards for that

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ and can f" "k off. Dissatisfied

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Christopher Allen

SUPER PRIZES tsr.Tl-'^

Tfl DE Ferraris, but do not feel

_ . „. _r. 'he need to write in to

Fo^ihe next'iew'lssues"of"/w" ^^""^ magazines to point

ZONE, we will be giving away l.'^'^""' " °" »^

mmx M. « hand, are probably rich

a Mici^oft inteliiMouse to ^ . ' . r 1

. x_ and insecure and so feel
everyone who gets a letter , . .r

printed in Mailbox. These "^^'^ '"['l'"^ r""'

digital rodents are perfect for ^l'''^"^^ by bragging

^„ ^ ^ ^ . about your Porsches to

3D shooters and games that „^ ^^..^

. , \ . PC ZONE, or am I just

require a quicl( and precise . . ' ,

7_ ... being "off base ?

response from your pointing ^

device - you can even use
them with Windows 98 if you
really want to.
So get your
writing skates
on and send us
your literary
masterpieces.
We promise not
to be rude when
we reply to them.
Well, not very.

G You too can own a Microsoft
InteliiMouse. Simply send a
vaguely intelligent/interesting
letter to Mailbox and, if it gets
printed, we'll send you one.

DEADLINE
DOLDRUMS

I would tend to agree with
certain points that Andy
Reynolds made in his letter
to Mailbox which you
published in PCZ #90.

However, Chris Anderson
insisted upon sticking 100
per cent on the side of the
developers, which, to me,
considering the amount of
stick you have given John
Romero, seemed more than
a little hypocritical.

The fact is that yes, the
release dates published are
realistic to the developers,
assuming they don't
have any

problems.

Diablo 2, Just one of many titles suffering from slippage.

34 PCZONE#92AU62000

But they invariably do.
It would be far better for
the consumers if we were
not told a release date
until the developer would,
without fail, be able to get
the product out.

If the delays were a matter
of weeks or even a month or
two then we, as consumers,
wouldn't have a problem with
it. 1 for one would rather have
a complete game than a
shambles that has been
rushed out to meet a
deadline. That isn't the
problem. The problem is that
we are given release dates
that are quite obviously,
looking back on them,
impossible to meet. I cite as
an example Daikatana, which
was scheduled for release
(according to Electronics
Boutique's sources) at the
end of May last year - an
announcement made at
the beginning of the same
month. This date was delayed
less than a week before the
release date, and has
continued to be delayed.

Another example is Diablo
2, a game which my friends
and 1 arc waiting for with
bated breath. This has so
far been delayed from the
original slated release
dale by about two years.
Although I want the
game to be as bug-free
as possible on release,
it is very obvious to me
that a delay of thai

O Christopher Alien has one of
these. Impressed? Neither were we.

magnitude can't be totally
unpredictable.

I'm not asking that
developers don't ever have
delays, just that they don't
treat their customers like
idiots when putting forward
release schedules.

Craig Grattan

0 Are you really saying
you would rather have no
release dates at all than
one which proves to be
misleading? I think you'll
find most people would
rather have a rough ETA
on big titles than to be left
completely in the dark as to
when they will arrive. Like
it or not, release dates are
usually wild approximations
and the only way to avoid
disappointment is to take
them all with a pinch of salt
and watch PC ZONE for
updates on development
progress for big games.

A PACIFIST
WRITES

1 was shocked to see the
headline 'Official: video
games really are linked to
child violence', in the paper
today. It seems that the Yanks
think that a psychologist's
report suddenly finalises

the issue - regardless of the
other more obvious social
factors involved.

The article claimed games,
such as Doom, Quake, and
Mortal Kombat, were directly
and indirectly responsible for

violent behaviour and
psychological damage among
young people in the States,
and treated the report as some
kind of reflection to the effects
of games on British children.

I have played nearly every
first-person shooter from the
days of Wolf 3D and Blake
Stone, age ten, to Kingpin and
Soldier Of Fortune today. 1
have also never been involved
in a fight or fired a gun. And
I don't particularly want to do
either, if that's OK.

Call me illogical,
Americans, but if you allow
a child who is sitting within
ten feet of an over-laden gun
rack, one for each member
of the family (including the
cat), to play a game such as
Kingpin, what do you expect?

Violent games are being
used as scapegoats to direct
attention away from the
morbid irresponsibility of
American gun culture
- just compare the levels of
extreme juvenile violence
there to those here and in
Japan (where some of the
most violent games are
produced). I don't think it's
right that this report should
be linked to gamers in Britain
and, frankly, I don't need a
report from a society in
which six-year-olds are
allowed to shoot their
classmates to tell me what
the effects of my hobbies
will be. The fact that violent
games sometimes end up in
unacceptably young hands
is not an effective argument
against them, it's just an
argument for better retailing.

This report is an insult to
any gamer's intellect, most
of whom are capable of the
simple task of distinguishing
between the fantasy of a
computer game and violently
anti-social conduct.

Cheers for another great
issue - I'm off to play Quake
HI. Followed by a murderous
rampage, no doubt...

Kedron

PLAY FAIR

I usually find your mag
informative and unbiased.
However, I was saddened
by your review of the Soldier
Of Fortune game, PCZ #89,
and your comments made
about the magazine and
its perceived effect on
'sociopaths'. This brings
me to a few points:

1) The game appears not an
awful amount dissimilar to
other warfighting and police
shoot 'em ups - Commandos,
Mortyr, SAWT etc. The same
comments were not made
about these games, where the
aim is the same - achieving
an objective, usually by
killing using the various
weapons at your disposal.

2) If you've ever actually read
Soldier Of Fortune, then you
might find it an interesting
experience. Yes it's full of the
usual survivalist nonsense.

Soldier Of Fortune guilty or innocent?

blurred somewhat. Games
are for fun, gun magazines
are an altogether more
sinister proposition for
obvious reasons. And
implying that fans of
first-person shoot 'em
ups on PC are of similar

^Violent games are being used as scapegoats
to direct attention away from the morbid
irresponsibility of American gun culture^

KEDRON, WHO DOESNT BEUEVE THAT GAMES ARE THE PROBLEM

with a right-wing bias and
a focus on weapons and
violence, but it does raise
some interesting issues - for
example the knowledge of
the FBI that the gas used in
Waco was inflammable. As
with anything else, it's a case
of reading between the lines.
3) In most of your reviews
you focus on the effects of
different weapon systems
and their effect on targets -
nailguns in Quake etc. At
times, your magazine looks
identical to Guns And Ammo,
Combat Handguns and the
rest of those nasty
publications. Does it then
follow that everyone who
reads PC ZONE is full of
persons of the same
mentality as you describe?

Of course, your argument
would be that you are talking
about virtual reality, not
actual reality, but at times
I feel the line and distinction
can be blurred somewhat.
It is similar to BBC news
saying, "Tabloids reported
that..." giving the impression
of being holier than thou
while being at the same
gutter level.

J Phillips
O We fmd it disturbing
that you feel the line that
separates virtual reality
and actual reality can be

mentality to readers of
gun magazines is a little
extreme to say the least.
Soldier Of Fortune on PC
was singled out in this
sense because it's tied in
to what many people find
to be a tasteless publication
that glorifies guns, the
other games you mentioned
are not guilty of this. While
Charlie's criticism of the
moral ethics behind Soldier
Of Fortune are, we feel,
justified, it did not
adversely affect the score
for what we think is a great
game, he just wanted to
point out the game's roots
to our readers, many of
whom will never have
heard of Soldier Of
Fortune magazine.

PC IN PERIL

I was surprised, no
dumbfounded, to read
Peter Molynoux's latest
statement in MCV where
he clearly said that Black &
White would be his last PC-
focussed project in favour
of console technology.

Obviously he has a perfect
right to choose his own future
direction, but such a bold
statement in such an ever-
changing industry gives me
the impression that his latest
project's 'title' has influenced

many aspects of intelligent
thinking and logic. Life,
evolution and developing is
certainly not black and white.

Yes we are all excited
about the future consoles
(mainly PS2 and X-Box),
yes it would be crazy not
to look at them as viable
development platforms,
and yes they propose a
certain element of creative
freedom in technological
advancements, but hold on,
a console has an advanced
hardware life of a fruit fly,
the minute it is designed,
manufactured and
distributed the hardware is
suddenly out of date.

To quote Peter: "Consoles
are so powerful and you can
do some incredible stuff on
them." This simply floored
me, how can a 'supposed'
revolutionary figurehead
for the development industry
base his creative future
on that!

Lets look at the X-Box, it's
coming from the PC, it's using
SDKs that have matured
from PC development, it's J
using PC hardware that
has grown and developed
from PC architecture.
X-Box can simply be
classed as taking a
moment of time (in
hardware/software
evolution) and
freezing it in a slinky
box with a massive
marketing budget.

Now compare this so
called (and quoted) 'power'
to the efforts of processor
and 3D hardware companies,
such as Intel, 3dfx and
Matrox, and within a few
weeks of the X-Box launch
the PC is throwing out
twice as many polygons at
twice the speed and twice
the resolution!

1 know Peter is well
respected within the
industry due to his past
creative developments and
I'm sure B&W is going to be
everything it's promised to
be, but I'm always amazed
at the level of publicity his
statements receive when
they seem to based purely
on the limelight factor'
or for the 'make me an
offer factor'.

By all means, develop
and exploit the consoles, but
to place your development
future on a frozen technology
and to completely rule out
the most adaptive and
progressive platform in
the world seems naive.

Paul Carrington

MAILBOX

0 Peter Molyneux,
managing director of
Lionhead Studios,
responds: "I was very
interested to read Paul
Carrington's letter and
feel that I need to clarify
a statement that I madk
during a talk at E3. 1 did
say that Black & White
will be the last PC-led title
Lionhead will produce. All
this means is that the new
games design that I
currently have bubbling
around in my head is aimed
more towards consoles
than PCs. This does not
mean that Lionhead will
not be producing any new
PC games, whether it be
lead or dual machine, nor
is it an inditement of the
future of the PC as a games
platform, but rather that
this particular games
design is more oriented
towards the next
generation consoles.

I feel the PC will remain
the home for many new and
innovative games, in fact,

1 would imagine some
gaming genres will remain
most compulsive on the PC.

I have always seen and
will continue to see the
PC as an important format
for innovative games
and I am sure many of
Lionhead's future titles
will continue to support
the PC where

applicable. \kB

#92PCZ0NE 35

^ DRIVE 50 TOTALLY DESTRUCTIBLE VEHICLES.

^ OVER 48 MISSIONS AND RACES TO COMPLETE.

^ 9 COMPLETELY 3D SINGLE PLAYER ENVIRONMENTS
TO EXPLORE AND DESTROY INCLUDING:
- HOLLOWOOD - A THEME PARK FROM YOUR
NIGHTMARES - NECROPOLIS - TWISTED CITY OF HATRED
- BACK OF BEYOND - POST-NUCLEAR WASTELAND
- 6 OTHER TOTALLY NEW ENVIRONMENTS

^ 7 MULTI-PLAYER GAME TYPES IN 9 CUSTOM MAPS.

FUTURE KZ0NEE31WM

As the dust settles on E3, the PC ZONE team reflect on the games that will be making the headlines throughout
2000 and beyond. Over the following pages you will see the games we have picked out for special attention, and
we think you will agree that on this evidence the future looks very bright indeed for the PC gaming community

BLACK & WHITE

Everything in Black & White makes sense. Chris Anderson plays God

DEVELOPER: Lionhead
PUBLISHER: EA

WEBSITE: www.blackandwhite.ea.com
RELEASE DATE: September

The Black & White stand pulled
massive crowds throughout the
whole show and the most cursory
of glances at the huge screen
displaying the game was enough
to explain why. Mind-blowing
graphics married to initially
simplistic yet ultimately deep
and engrossing gameplay are the
hallmarks of a title that is sure to >

prove ground-breaking upon its
release. The simple premise of two
rival gods battling for supremacy
over a huge landscape has never

their opponent. Black & White
also sports the most unique magic
system we have ever seen. Players
use the mouse to draw symbols

^Mind-blowing graphics married to simplistic yet
engrossing gameplay are the hallmarks of a title that
is sure to prove ground-breaking upon its release ^

been so perfectly realised, with
players taking control of their own
populace and creatures effortlessly,
as they grow their empires slowly
but surely in an effort to wipe out

which determine the power and
range of their spells, and the option
to play as a good or evil god means
the possibilities for open-ended
and varied gameplay are endless.

coulda been a contender

Lionhead, unlike many of its
industry counterparts, is promising
a very strong single-player
experience, but it's in its online
incarnation that Black & White wiW
really shine. Players can take their
creatures online to fight against
people from all over the world in
The Gathering {Black & White's
online community).

In an effort to draw in as many
gamers as possible, Lionhead has
devised what is surely the most
impressive and intuitive interface
we've seen to date. There are no

Black & White features the most unique and intuitive magic system we've ever seen.

38 PCZONE AUG 2001

PCZ0NEE3ilWU[l$ FEATURE

endless banks of icons cluttering
the screen and all game actions
can be performed with the mouse.
This will surely make even the
most casual of gamers feel at
home straight away.

Perhaps the most impressive
thing of all though, is the AI of
non-player characters. Leave your
villagers to their own devices and
they will get up to all kinds of
mischief. Watch in amazement as
they marvel at new creatures they
find on the landscape, and even

learn how to play football to
amuse themselves when you
haven't given them anything to do.

We are a bit impressed by this
game, can you tell? If there was
one game at E3 we couldn't wait to
get our hands on, this was most
definitely it. Look out for a major
feature in PC ZONE Online next
month, which will investigate
Black & White's peerless online
capabilities in depth.

DEVELOPER: LucasArts
PUBLISHER: Activision
WEBSITE: www.lucasarts.com
RELEASE DATE: November

Arguably the finest (and
funniest) adventure
series in the history J
of gaming, Monkey
Island represents m
the pinnacle of its JL
genre. So news of
an addition to the I
series is something ^
to get very excited \
about. The new game is ^
being penned by the team

responsible for Sam & Max. This
in itself is cause for celebration,
as Sam & Max is generally
considered to be one of the best
games LucasArts produced in
^^^^ their adventure heyday.
^^^^^^ We got a sneak preview
W^^^^^fgggi ofthegameat
I^^MmMffi^ the show, and it
"^KF^^^^™ looks absolutely
\ tunning. Expect

more news on the
y game that looks
J set to revive the
adventure genre
in a forthcoming
i >^ issue o( PC ZONE.

XCOM AlllANCE

DEVELOPER: Hasbro
PUBLISHER: Hasbro
WEBSITE: www.hasbro.com
RELEASE DATE: Q32000

We all love first-person shooters,
but let's be honest, how many more
can we stand that seem to focus on
nothing more than blowing
someone's head off repeatedly?
Enter stage left. Alliance with what
seems to be the perfect solution: a
first-person shooter with a strong
research and resource management

side that lends purpose to all
the non-stop shooting. We have
a sneaky feeling that if Hasbro
get this game right it could well
be the surprise hit of the year.

Beautiful graphics, depth of
gameplay and the opportunity
to kill recognised aliens from the
XCOM series in up-close-and-
personal confrontations must
surely be a recipe for success.

Alliance is scheduled for
release at the end of the year.
We can hardly wait. No, really.

AUG 2000 PC ZONE 39

HAS ANYONE
SEEN...?

These are the games
that were conspicuous
by their absence

UNREAL 2

We were promised a sneak peak.
What we got was a whole lot less
- a quick demonstration of some of
the technical advances being made
in the Unreal worid. "Can you tell us
anything about Unreal 27" was our
enthusiastic question. "No" was
the uncompromising, but
shtiightforward answer.

DUKENUKEM
FOREVER

id is famous for saying its latest
game will be "ready when it's
ready". If you think that's unhelpful
you should try gleaning any
information out of 3D Realms.
Apparently the game will be
released some time in the next
millennium. Hail to the King, baby!

TEAM FORTRESS 2

We thought it looked ambitious and
we were right. Team Fortress 2 was
a no-show at E3, although it could
be a blessing in disguise. It's an
online only game and we're not
going to get the most out of it until
we get affordable high-speed
Internet accounts. Which we should
have later on this year. Good.

Wonderland was obviously a public
manifestation of this. Throughout
the book, Alice is subjected to
nightmare after nightmare, from
the sort of characters you'd hope
not to meet after ingesting
hallucinogens. Get a copy and
check it out for yourself, it makes
the perfect setting for a genuinely
disturbing and scary PC game.

one of the best games to come out
this year. As long as it meets its
release date that is.

Yes, it's built around the Quake
///engine, but the game is played
from a third-person perspective.
And, as well as blasting the living
bejesus out of living playing cards
and the like, there's going to be
a big adventure element present.

The game kicks off after the
two books, by which time Alice
has been driven completely insane.
As she receives the call to return
to Wonderland she's rocking her
head back and forth inside a
padded cell of a lunatic asylum.
Which is exactly where you'd be if
you'd been through the trials she's
had to endure. Naturally she's not

DEVELOPER: MicroProse
PUBLISHER: Hasbro
WEBSITE: www.hasbro.com
RELEASE DATE: TBC

People were bemoaning the lack of
flight simulations at E3, and some
were actually going as far as to say

that the genre was dying a death.
After looking at B17 we don't know
what they were complaining about
- there's enough quality here to
keep anyone happy for months.

It maps the whole of Europe
accurately and even provides an
RPG element of sorts.

You build a crew up that comes
with different skills, including first
aid if you're unlucky enough to
take a bullet fighting for Queen
and country. This is going to be
the last simulation for MicroProse
and we're betting they're going to
go out on a high.

40 PCZONE AUG 2000

SNEE3XWUIIS FEATURE

Get a copy of the book
and check it out for
yourself, it makes the
perfect setting for a
genuinely disturbing
and scary PC game ^

too keen, but as a particularly
twisted white rabbit points out:
she hasn't ^ot much choice.

What more do you need?
Great j»raphics, twisted characters
and a general underbelly of
darkness that would make you
run for your life if it wasn't just
a game. The rich heritage of the
books provides a huge pool of
ready-built and recognisable
characters (although if you've only
seen the Disney version you might
wonder what sort of drugs McGee
has been on), and already the code
is looking superb. We can't wait.

Don't expect a BFG. The flamingo mallet is more up Alice's street

Expect crooked and twisted architecture.

You talce the hig

h road...

DUNGEON SIEGE

DEVELOPER: Gas Powered Games
PUBLISHER: Microsoft
WEBSITE: www.microsoft.com/games
RELEASE DATE: Jan/Feb 2001

We've been talking about this one since it

\was announced at Microsoft's Gamestock
event and we're still convinced it's going
to be the best RPG event of 2001. The
graphics are nothing short of staggering
and with Chris Taylor's inventive
shortcuts and sense of humour prevalent
all the way through, the gameplay
should match.

I he demo at E3 wasn't that much more

/advanced, but we did sneak a peek at a
massive dragon that filled the whole of the
screen and dwarfed our character, before
looking irritated when he was torched with
a couple of mouthfuls of highly flammable
breath. Impressive? You'd better believe it.

We couldn't wait for Diablo
2. We were disappointed

High on our wish list before E3 was
Diablo 2, the sequel to one of the
best-looking RPGs on PC (well, it
was at the time). Imagine our
surprise then when we saw the
sequel and discovered it looked
suspiciously similar to its
predecessor, albeit in higher
resolution. This would not be a
problem were it not for the fact
that Vampire has redefined the
graphic standard for the RPG
genre, making Blizzard's title look
decidedly dated before it's even
been released. Let's hope Diablo
gameplay is up to scratch is ail we
can say. In its favour, Diablo 2 will
set the online gaming community
alight in the same way the first one
did. We've got an eariy version in
the office, but we're not going to
review it until it finally goes gold,
which will be next month. Possibly.

AUG 2000 PC ZONE 41

Richie Stoemator shamelessly jumped a two-hour queue to
see the demo of Bungle's alien v human gama What he got was
a breathtaking display of PC visuals and a punch in the nose

BIZARRE
BAZAAR

The weird and wonderful
world of E3

DEVELOPER: Bungie

PUBLISHER: Take 2 ^
WEBSITE: http://halo.bungie.Com ;
RELEASE DATE: March 2001

There were three two-hour long
queues at E3 this year: one for the]
shitter; one snaking around the
Microsoft stand to snatch a peak ;
at Microsoft's X-Box console;
and the other camped around
the Bungie booth, with people ^
waiting patiently to see the
third-person game Halo in action. ;
The difference between the latter i
two queues was that while the j
line for X-Box was filled with i
Satan-worshipping marketing i

types, those encamped around the
Bungie stand were predominantly
games developers, curious as to
what all the fuss is about - the
people in the know, basically.

Being awarded VIP status and
herded around the back, we were
able to jump the line and sneak in
through a secret entrance to take

graphics ^

alone. The alien

ring world on which Halo is based
stretched far into the horizon.
Firing each of the game's dozen
weapons caused casings to
roll downhill and when our

^It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Haloms
the best-looking game at E3 by quite a margin,
so good in fact that it looked too good to be true^

all the best seats. The presentation,
although brief, certainly had
impact. First we were treated to
a few minutes of real-time action,
which although revealed nothing of
the game's structure or AI, certainly
forced the odd jaw to drop with the

wise-cracking host climbed into a
vehicle, we could even see gravel
particles shoot from the skidding
wheels as the jeep took off and its
occupant bounced in his seat. Little
details perhaps, but it wouldn't be
an exaggeration to say Halo was

There was good and bad at E3 this
year, and no shortage of the
downright freakish either. Stuck
away in one hall we found force
feedback gamepads, mice with
built-in microphones, something
called a Buttkicker and, worst of
all, the Interactive BattleChairT"^,
which after passing innocently by
we were practically manhandled
into, in order to experience the
"unique 5°, three-way crystal clear
drivers, adjustable T-Arms and
high-back ergonomic cushioning".
After walking around the show for
eight hours it made a nice change
to sit down, until the sounds of
Half-Life barke6 through the
"patented Sin back woofers" and
neariy blew our brains through our
nostrils. After five minutes our ears
were aching more than our ankles
and we almost paid the US$249 (inc
p&p) Just to get away. Anyway, after
leaving intact, minus our business
cards, we found refuge outside on
the pavement. It wasn't quite as
comfy, but at least it was quiet.

RETURN TO CASTLE

WOLFENSTEIN

DEVELOPER: Gray Matter
PUBLISHER: Activision
WEBSITE: www.activision.com
RELEASE DATE: TBC

Although on show to all and
sundry, it was in one of Activision's

back rooms that we saw the best
that the sequel to the granddaddy
of all first-person games had to
offer. The Quake ///-powered
Wolfenstein will primarily be
a single-player game, offering
intelligent AI (the Hun work in

teams), plenty of WWII weaponry
and puzzles that, for the first time
since Half-life, should take the
genre away from the ponderous
malaise of switch-pulling and
key finding.

Although ex-Kingpin coders
Gray Matter will be handling
much of the game's development,
id Software will be keeping a keen
eye on the project, id's Graham
Devine was just as excitable as Gray
Matter's director. Drew Markham,
on the game, both of whom were
keen to show off all the graphical
enhancements that had been made
to the Quake ///engine. With allied
troops to fight alongside you,
experimental weapons to try out
and some intriguing multiplayer
modes, Return To Castle
Wolfenstein could well be the game
to topple Half-Life off the top spot.
It is about time after all.

42 PC ZONE AUG 2000

PCZ0NEE3MIIIIS FEATURE

loNUNE
I ON SHOW

Our hit list of the best
online games at E3

It was difficult to gauge what was
the best online game of the show,
half of them were unpopulated and
the others were demoed to us with
typical PR panache. Ultima Online 2
(now called Ultima Online World:
Origin) looked good, as did Anarchy
Online and Jumpgate. But as a
group, what most impressed us
was the online versions of
Freelancer and Black & White, both
of which should appear shortly
after their single-player versions.
Also looking good were a number
of Half- Life mo6s. However, if you
asked the masses what the best
online game was, you'd probably
get the answer Diablo 2. There
were dozens of fat Americans
watching the game, but we have
to say we were rather nonplussed.
Maybe it's just us. Yes, that'll be it

the best-looking game at E3 by
quite a margin, so good in fact that
it looked too good to be true.

Next up was the meat and veg
of the presentation - a multiplayer
ten minute rolling demo, recorded
in real-time in the Ha/o offices prior
to E3. Without going too over the
top, it was almost like watching a
film. And the promise is that within
a year it will be an experience we
will all be able to savour, with sleek
aliens and their anti-gravity
vehicles taking on a human force
- all with realistic AI - across a
dynamic and seamless world,
featuring as realistic a physics
model as you're ever likely to find.
In terms of its graphical style, Halo
manages to hit the right balance in
that rather than pitch the humans
as good and the aliens as evil, there

The aliens have their own distinct weapons and vehicles.

is almost the same tension as
between the colonial marines
in the Alien films and the same
morality as the honourable
hunter of the Predator iWms. As
a multiplayer game Ha/o could

seriously take the crown. As a j
single-player game we will have ]
to wait a few months to see what ■
Bungie can add. In the meantime, i
it is clear that graphically Halo is ]
light years ahead of anything else.!

FREEUWCER

DEVELOPER: Digital Anvil
PUBLISHER: Microsoft

WEBSITE: www.cligitalanvil.com
RELEASE DATE: Early 2001

iner of numerous
vai ds at last year's
3. a full 12 months
on and the Elite-
style Freelancer
was no less
impressive. Exotic
planetside cities

Each character In the game is in 3D, i
real llp-synclng.

Ultima 2 ib perhaps the most eagerly
awaited next-generation RPG.

PREVIEW DEUSEX

It's almost upon us,

■

THEDHMLS

DEVELOPER Ion Storm Austin
PUBUSHER Lidos Interactive
WEBSITE www.deusex.com
OUT August

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

O Uses Unreal engine

O Higti-tech gadgetry

O Realistic, contemporary environments

©Action -packed story

Paul Mallinson has followed the development of 0ei/5 fir with great interest,
and he's now on the verge of having the final thing drop onto his lap. So how
does he feel about that?

1 storm finally ended up finishing
Daikatana before Deus Ex. But ttiey should

never have bothered...

' Daikatana - John Romero's infamous
first-person shooter finally makes its
appearance, and -uh- it's all a bit crap.

^ Dominion - Ropey real-time strategy
game that Ion Storm inherited from US
development house disaster 7th Level.

The last time we saw Deus
Ex we had Warren
Spector, the game's
designer demonstrating
it for us. Warren's
involvement in some of
our all-time favourite
computer games, namely the Ultima
Underworld series, had us in a state of
anticipation, the likes of which we
hadn't experienced outside a second
visit to the clap clinic. But, from what
we can remember of that morning,
the game looked great and seemed like
a hell of a lot of fun to play. We say
iooked' and 'seemed' because at that
point in time Warren wouldn't let us

near the controls. Oh no. He would
constantly say "I'll show you this", or
"let me show you that". He wouldn't
let us anywhere near the keyboard.
But we didn't hold it against him.
In fact, nobody in the room held
it against him because we were
witnessing the birth of a red-hot
classic, and didn't need to be at
the controls to work that out.

Now, with Deus Ex having slipped
to August, Warren and his chums
have seen fit to lend PC ZONE an
almost finished beta of the game - to
test for ourselves, until Eidos finish
recording all the European voices
and the game is finally shipped.

HOW'S IT SHAPING UP?

Where do we start? From the outset,
when the game boots up to a rousing
James Bond-style theme tune, it
feels as if you're about to take part
in something dramatic and special.
The story of a modern-day 'super spy'
on the trail of a highly-organised
terrorist organisation, Deus Ex mixes
first-person shooting action with
cyberpunk-style role-playing in a
contemporary setting, so you are
immediately thrust into a fairly familiar
environment (the game starts off in
New York), with a fairly familiar set
of controls. After an initial briefing,
and the supply of the game's lower-

44 PCZONE#92AUG2000

stealth, especially In ttils opening segment, will detennine your eventual success or failure.

end weaponry, you're then sent out to
neutralise a group of highly-organised
terrorists who have taken over the
Statue of Liberty.

Once you're on your own, creeping
around the darkly-lit gardens
surrounding the statue, you quickly
begin to realise that Deus Ex is not all
shooting. No, far from it. As a high-
tech cop, you have a number of useful
built-in devices at your disposal.
These devices, called Augmentations,
are upgraded and added to as you
complete objectives in the various
missions. On top of this, there are
11 different skills to expand and
improve upon, from Computers (for
hacking and stufO to Environmental
Training (resistance to hazardous
environments), and everything in
between. Basically, you start off
as a weedy shadow of a supercop,
and by the end of the first couple
of missions you become a lean,
mean killing machine - very much
like something out of Terminator.

CHALLENGING

Which is just as well, as even on the
easiest setting, Deus Ex is something
of a challenge. If, like us, you storm
terrorist territory on the first few goes
without a thought for your own safety,
you won't last two minutes. The guards

patrolling the area will not only open
fire if they see or hear you, but they
will also run for the nearest alarm and
alert their cohorts who will promptly
return and kick your head in if you do
not dispatch them first. Staying low is
a priority. There are not only guards,
but robots, gun emplacements and
surveillance cameras to deal with too.
So, from the word 'go' you've pretty
much got what seems like the whole
world up against you - and it's scary.

objectives. That said, you don't have
to kill people to get on in Deus Ex - in
fact, in some places you actually get
told off for using unnecessary force.
A handy 'electro prod' does a good job
of incapacitating the enemy without
actually killing them, and you can
carry and hide bodies k la Thief to
avoid further detection. But, in our
opinion, the sniper rifle is a much safer
bet because you can use it at arm's
length and hide until the alarms are

^Stepping out from the shadows to a lit area in front
of a terrorist will almost certainly award you with a
bullet in the head, no matter how far away they are^

The learning process in Deus Ex is
one of initial trial and error. Stepping
out from the shadows to a lit area in
front of a terrorist will almost certainly
award you with a bullet in the head,
no matter how far away they are. If
they see you, that's it - all hell breaks
loose. Stay in the shadows, however,
and crawling instead of running will
allow you relative invisibility. And if
a terrorist's back is turned and you
creep up behind them, they'll not
know what hit them when you finally
find the nerve to slit their throats.
It's a messy business, but essential if
you are to get anywhere near your

turned off. Call us cowards if you like,
but caution never hurts. There are also
tons and tons of other cool weapons,
devices and gadgets to find and use,
all of which become available as and
when you need them.

PICK US A WINNER

Picking locks and bypassing electronic
devices are some of Deus Ex's other
cool gameplay features. Lock-picks
and MultiTools are used for these
purposes respectively. MultiTools can
even stretch to disabling surveillance
cameras and opening electronic locks,
but are in short supply so must be

used wisely. And they're not the only
thing in short supply either. Deus Ex
isn't Quake. There aren't floating,
revolving boxes lying around waiting
to be picked up on every corner.
Every bullet counts, and running
out of ammunition in the gravest
of situations will no doubt feature
heavily in your first few hours of play,
like it did ours. But these furious,
desperate occasions - when you alert
the whole level to your presence by
accidentally disturbing some pigeons,
or by using the shotgun by mistake -
are immense fun and can be quite
an adrenaline rush.

The terrorist AI in these combat
situations is already turning out to
be quite exceptional, so God knows
what it will be like in the final game.
Throw a grenade into the middle
of a group and they scream, before
scattering in every direction to avoid
the blast. Enemy groups also work
together, catching you in a deadly
crossfire if they can, while one runs
off to raise the alarm and bring more
troops in. Injured felons, if they know
they're beat, will run away from you.
But, unfortunately, there doesn't
seem to be a way of cuffing them,
which would have been nice. Is it
too late to include it guys? Still, we
can't have it all.

AUG 2000 #92 PC ZONE 45

[mm

This agent is packing some serious kit, but there's far
more to be found in Deus Ex than can be seen here.

ft -

A rocket blast In the face... Owww! That's seriously gotta hurt.

II imririi

Each skill discipline has four levels of training and
can be advanced by 'spending' skill points awarded
for valiant play.

NON-PLAYER
CHARACTERS

One of the best features of Deus Ex
Is the abundance of non-player
characters. All of them talk to you
and play an essential role in bringing
the worid to life, and some even ghre
you things or sell you weaponry.

OR CAN WE?

Well, yes we can have it all. From
what we've played of Deus Ex so far,
we reckon we're gonna get pretty
much everything we ever wanted
in an action role-playing adventure
of this sort, and much, much more.
With Deus Ex, the game's designers
have essentially combined the instant
hook of a first-person shoot 'em up

above mentioned booking's Glass
classics in some places, and Ion Storm
Austin will curse us for mentioning
it - but sod it, it's true. And it's not
exactly a bad thing either, as both
77iie/and System Shock 2 are bona fide
benchmarks in their own right, so
anything remotely similar is fine by us.

On balance Deus Ex is going to be
to PC gaming what GoldenEye was

^Running out of ammo in the gravest situations will
feature heavily in your first few hours of play. But these
desperate occasions are quite an adrenaline rush^

Deus Er features a wonderfully-
scripted storyline that twists and
turns and creates real dilemmas.
Obviously, this being a preview, we
don't want to gh/e too much away. So
check the review for further details.

So how about It then?

v^th the complex story of an adventure
game, the depth of character of a
role-playing game, the atmosphere
of something like Thief and the ease-
of-use and sophistication of System
Shock 2. If the truth be told, Deus Ex
does play startlingly similarly to the

to the N64 - and a whole lot more.
After playing this nearly-finished
preview version to death and beyond,
we're itching, nay having kittens, in
anticipation of the finished article.
So fingers crossed for the full review
in the next issue. C53

HIDING BODIES

It's not too wise to leave corpses
lying around because if the enemy
spots them, they'll run and set off
the nearest alarm. Picking up bodies,
and hiding them out of sight is a
gruesome, but necessary process
in Deus Ex.

Skirting surveillance takes some skill.

IRONING OUT
THE DUGS

Take a close look at this screenshot
here - and, no, you're not tripping. Deus
fx still has to undergo some final bug-
testing. Only then will it be ready to be
unleashed upon the slavering masses.

You get to kill dogs. Steve Hill will be pleased. But then it's only a game.

Use the statues for target practice.

46 PCZONE#92AU62000

...We'd like to mark out
your area of responsibility

MANAGER

2 0 0 0

■ • ^ ft _

iL<|j.!cj:MAI=Ui

O Infogrames United Kingdom Limited 2000 - All rights reserved. Dewloped t>y BubhjII Systems Limited. Any individual
names and Images, as well as club names, logos, stjdium names and playing strips arc the property of their respeaive ownerv
UEFA shall Ijear no responsability for any thinj parties unauthorized copying of such names and pnopertics. Ail UEFA logos
and names are registered trademarks of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations). No reproduaton of these
trademarVs may take pUte without the prior written permlssfon of UEFA. All rights reserved

* 100% European Football

Pick your team among the top European championships
and win all domestic and European competitions.

* 100% Al-based simulation

Unique player and staff A! routines.
Detailed statistics for both teams and players.

* 100% Graphics

See your team act in Real Time in a full 3D Match.
3D view of your stadium improvements.

* 100% User-Friendly

Unique 'Football Today' section helps you to perform
manager's duties.

Delegate difficult tasks to your assistants.
Intuitive interface using drag and drop system.
^ 100% Accuracy

In-depth tactical and transfer sections.
Detailed scouting, training and youth team
management systems.
Comprehensive financial section including
merchandising and ground development issues.

Take your team to European glory

7i KISS mCHOCIICK: THE NIGHTMUE CHILD

Lock up your daushtors...

KISS PSYCHa

IRCUS:

THE NIGHTMARE CHILD

What's black and white and red all over? Kiss after a few too many hours on the
sun bed. Dave Woods dies on stage and decides to stick to his day job

THEKTMLS

DEVELOPER Third Law Interactive
PUBLISHER lake 2 Interactive
WEBSITE www.kjsspsychocircus.com
OUT August

WHArS THE BIG DEAL?

O Single-player shooter

O Modified LithTech 1 .5 engine

O Horde technotogy means dozens of creatures on

five different realms, with a variety of weapons and

special powers!

O Put your tongue
away, young man.

Unreal Tournament and
Quake III might be great
games, but if you're
looking for a story-
fuelled single-player
shooter, then you can
forget both of these.
In fact, games that fit this
particular bill are a bit short
on the ground, and if you've
played through Half-Life and
its sublime, but short-lived,
add-on pack, then you're
pretty well stuffed. Forget

Tlie Third Law crew famously walked out
on John Romero and his Ill-fated Dalkatana
project. Kiss Is their first release under
Third Law, but Its members have woilced
on some of the best titles In the genre.

Doom II Master Levels - an official
add-on pack that gave one of the best
games even more shelf life.

Redneck Rampage- kill hillbillies and
chickens in deepest, darkest America.
Not actually as much fun as it sounds.

Hexen II- Raven's fantasy blaster
won loads of fans and proved that
pointy hats and good games aren't
mutually exclusive.

Quake: Scourge ofArmagon - a quality
mission pack for the original Quake
game, which scored highly with the fans.

Daikatana. We reviewed it in the last
issue and it's not much cop. So where
should you look for solo thrills next?
A release based on the exploits of '70s
supergroup Kiss? Well, why not?

Kiss Psycho Circus isn't a game
that's been hastily thrown together
to sit on the back of the Kiss moniker.
It's actually based on the rather tasty
comic of the same name created by
Todd McFarlane, and it's got more in
common with Sandman and Hellraiser
than good old-fashioned American
rock. In the comic, the Psycho Circus is
a macabre collective and handily
enough it's also a gateway to alternate
realities, which lead to adventures
drawn around the deepest and
darkest recesses of the human soul.
Sounds like our sort of gig.

KISS OFF

In the game, the Tour Who Are One'
(that's Kiss in case you hadn't realised)
or Elders (or good guys) have
been banished to the Void. The
Nightmare King is getting ready for
an immaculate conception, and if
his child is bom before the Elders can
return, he'll "swallow the universe
whole, just to spit it out again in a
highly undesirable form". And no,
we're not kidding.

This is where you come in. Lured
to the circus by false promises you're
soon enslaved by an old crone who
demands that you scour five realms -
Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Nightmare
- to restore the Elders and save the
world. Each of the element realms
correspond with a member of Kiss,

The flaming Unipsycho. Looks a bit evil, doesn't he?

m PSYCHO CIRCUS: THE NIGHTMUE CHILD rJllTlTTl

IT'S KINDA TRAGIC

who has
different
weapons,
including a
melee weapon
(sword, battle-axe) and an
ultimate weapon, such as the Beast
King's railgun beater the Soul l^nce.
To complete each realm, you have to
collect pieces of magic armour and
transform yourself from mere mortal
to the sex gods we know in their
earthly form as Kiss. Riveting stuff,
I'm sure you'll agree.

Taking a lead from the sublime
Half -life. Psycho Circus is going to
include a number of smaller goals in

The

preview
code we've
played through
only includes the first
realm, but we've already
had to contend with a flaming
Unipsycho and a giant clown that
rolls up in a stunt car and proceeds to
lob exploding skittles at your head.
As far as the other monsters go,
twisted is the name of the game.
Floating Gasbags, old Gypsy crones,
scuttling spiders, eight-legged
Arachniclowns and Ballbusters and
Stumps are all waiting to strike, and
with the flexibility of the LithTech

^ Psycho Circus'isn't a game that's been hastily thrown
together on the hack of the Kiss monifter^^

the game that should ensure the
atmosphere of is kept near boiling
point. In the water realm, you'll have
to escape from a flooding cathedral;
and in the circus levels, you have to
play your way out of some warped
circus games, including the classic
duck shoot where you start off
providing the target practice.

SWARMS OF THE BUGGERS

You can also expect a slew of end-of-
level and mini-bosses to fight against.

These floaters are about as welcome as
the more traditional strain.

engine and Third Law's Horde
technology, you can expect to see
literally dozens of these creatures on
screen at once. Polygon counts drop
when creatures are further away from
you, and when frame rates start to
drop on your machine. So, despite the
frenetic Doom -style play, the game
should never noticeably slow down.
AI has been set to account for the
swarms as well, with the emphasis on
variation and speed, rather than
stealth and cunning.

ROMERO YS THIRD LAW

Ironically, Third Law, developer of
Psycho Circus, is the group that left
the Daikatana project to set up on
their own, and the four distinct
realms and different weapons look
like a two-fingered gesture to the
long-haired one. In a recent fit of
sour grapes, John Romero was
quoted as having no regrets
about the Daikatana project.
The only thing he'd change if
he could go back would be the
staff. "It all came down to
people, nothing to do with the
game design. The design was not
impossible to do with competent
people. Now we have an awesome
team and everybody pulled through

Rock bands and PC games are uneasy bedfellows. Here's
the shocking proof

One thing we can say with certainty is Kiss Psycho Circus^qoinq to be the
liest game tiased around a rocic band, because there's not much competition.
Anyone remember Queen: The Ey^ A game set in the not too distant future
where economic markets have collapsed, and citizens of the world are
governed by a vast network called the Eye? Thought not. You played Dubroc,
one of the agents of the network, eradicating images and notions deemed
subvershfe or harmful to the Ey& Until you discovered music. Rumours ttiat
Queen: The Brown Eye was the original title have been sadly discounted.

Or does Ed Hunter sound familiar? It was a shooting game on rails In
which the scariest and most challenging section had you scrambling for the
escape key in a bid to shut off the Iron Maiden soundtrack that accompanied
the camaga Hie evil that men do, indeed.

Ed Hunter came with a separate Iron
Maiden soundtrack. Shame.

It took a long time to go through a lot
of people who weren't used to doing
their hobby as a job."

We should have a full review of
Psycho Circus next month, and the fact
that the team has managed to ship at
almost the same time as Daikatana
makes Romero's words slightly
questionable. The game looks better
(the LithTech 1.5
engine is vastly
superior to the old
Quake II workhorse)
and, at this early
stage, plays better.
If the finished
product is

Mark reckoned the game was bad, but the
music 'dead good'. But then he's confused.

tweaked properly, we could be looking
at a game that delivers what Daikatana
failed to - adrenaline-fuelled fun.

Psycho Circus doesn't have any
pretensions and it's not likely to run
off with any awards for innovation,
but it might just provide the antidote
for the rash of multiplayer shooters,
and possibly keep us going until
Voyager or Alice see the light. And the
best news? You won't be plagued by a
raucous Kiss soundtrack
that has to be
switched off every
time you play the
game. Now that's
got to be a real
bonus. GH

AU62000tf92PCZONEl

JMTTTlHOMEWOUCIinCLrSM

Are you ready to take on the Beast?

HOMmRU^

More real-time strategy in tlie bieait void of space. Steve Hill Is weil and truly lost

THE DETAILS

DEVELOPER Barking Dog Studios
PUBUSHER Havas Interactive
WEBSriE fittpV/sierrastudios.com/games/

hwcataclysm/
OUT Late sufnmer

WHAT'S THE BIG DEM.?

OStaiid-alof)e Homeworld s[)m-oW

O From ttie makers of Half-Life: Counter-Strike

O Features 1 7 new missions

O Lots of stupid names

The various employees of Vancouver's
Barldng Dog have worked on a host of top
titles, but as a company this Is only its
secomi project

Counter-Strike. A reasonable debut,
this was a mod for tlie little known
Half-Life, a radiation simulator of
minor repute.

When is a sequel
not a sequel?
When it's a "fully-
fledged spin-off,"
according to
Michael Gyori,
the lead designer
on Homeworld: Cataclysm. "Basically,"
he explains, "we have taken the
original Homeworld engine and
modified it to bring you a new tale
from the Homeworld universe."

If you read the Top Story in our
April issue, the rudiments of said tale
were covered there, and suffice to say
it's the usual science fiction fare. As
such, it features some very silly
names, indeed, as did the original
Homeworld, last year's highly-
acclaimed (at least by Paul Presley)
space epic from Canadian outfit Relic
Entenainment. But when it came
down to the crunch, such as
developing a follow-up. Relic didn't
fancy it and instead stuck its
collective head around the door of the
nearest office and asked if anyone
there felt like it. That office, luckily,
was the headquarters of game
developer Barking Dog Studios, who,
after some protracted muttering,
accepted the challenge.

Or, as Gyori explains: "In the spring
of 1998, it was quite apparent that
Homeworld was going to be big. At
the time. Barking Dog was brought
on board to help with Homeworld
and work on an expansion pack.
Sierra soon realised that Homeworld:
Cataclysm should be a standalone
product, and here we are today."

It all sounds very cosy, but it could
be argued that taking over someone
else's game is a bit like wearing dead
man's pants. Not so, says the designer.
"Well, first of all. Relic is far from being

continuity fans should rest easy
knowing our story and manual were
written by Marcus Skyler, the same
person who wrote Homeworld''

COMPUTE CONTROL

With the fears of continuity fans firmly
assuaged, it seems appropriate to
ask what changes have been made
to the engine, controls and so forth.
"Various graphic tweaks have been
made to ensure the game is even
more stunning than before," Gyori
claims. "Some of the new features

^This game has elements from many space movies. If
Homeworld vias like BattlestarGalactica, Cataclysm
should give the player the feel of Alienof The Things

a dead man and some of them don't
even wear pants. But seriously, this is
no different than George Lucas letting
someone else direct The Empire Strikes
Back while he was busy elsewhere.
We are honoured to have the chance
to add our twist to an award-winning
strategy game.
And

include large Shockwave explosions,
ships holographically mimicking other
ships, polygonal accurate collisions,
ships that project energy shielding,
small repair bots moving around the
hull of large ships, new salvaging
effects, new weapons and their effeas,
external ship construction, new ship
animations, lens flares, slip gates and
dynamic Gouraud shading.

"As far as controls go, they are
basically the same ergonomic, easy-

Red sky at night, shepherd's pie.

"Hey, who turned out the light?"

50 PCZONE#92AUGZ000

Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space

to-use controls from Homeworld, with
some improvements to the right-click
menu and some changes to reduce
micro-management. Players are
now able to give many commands
in the Sensor Manager, making it
much easier to control your fleet
over long distances. We've improved
the AI as well, so ships will function
better on their own while your
attention is elsewhere."

That's all very well, but some
people can't think in 3D. "We have
tried to make Cataclysm more
approachable to all kinds of players,"
he continues. "The improved Sensor
Manager interface, for example, will
allow you to view the space battles
from above and issue attack commands
without worrying about 3D
positioning. As I mentioned earlier,
ships will also handle themselves
better when unattended by the player."

Clearly, there is a tendency for all
space games to look alike. After all,
space is space, right? Wrong, says
Gyori. "With all new backgrounds,
dynamic 'terrain', such as moving
asteroid belts, slip gates, many new
effects and loads of new ships, this is as
different as space can look while still
having that dazzling Homewor/d feel."

DULPFORPUGUnSM

Some people (well, Paul Presley) have
suggested that Cataclysm's storyline
has similarities with that of Star TYek.
Have you ever heard of that?

"Heard of Star Trek? Hmmm,
doesn't ring any bells. Seriously
though, Catciclvsm has elements from

Explosive action from the game they're all calling Homeworld: Cataclysm.

The new alien race, the Beast, ■
has an organic feel to it.

many space movies. If Homeworld was
reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica,
then Cataclysm should give the player
the feel oi Alien or The Thing''

Talking of Battlestar Galactica, the
rumour of a licensed game proved
false (although some chimps have
actually made a model enabling
ships to be used). As for Cataclysm's
inspiration, Gyori admits: "The nature
of the Beast (a techno-organic enemy
race) was definitely influenced by
the works of HP Lovecraft, while
the general feel of facing the great
unknown comes from classics like
the stories of AE Van Vogt and early
Arthur C. Clarke. 1 suppose there is
a little of Frank Herbert's Dune and
good old space opera thrown in for
good measure."

There you have it then. If pensive
space combat is your bag, Homeworld:
Cataclysm sounds like being all that
and a packet of potato chips. If nothing
else, it'll keep
>aul Presley off
the streets. C3

That's one purple haze you don't want in your mind.

MICHAEL GYORI

The lead designer on
Homeworld: Cataclysm
answers some questions
using his mind

PCZ What was the first
game you ever played?

Star Raiders on the Atari 400.
Eastern Front, a great Chris Crawford game,
was a close second.
PCZ What's the best?
MICHAt. No clear winner... Civilization,
Warcraft II an6 the early Ultima games

were all amazing. The first time I ever
played deathmatch Doom was sheer joy.
PCZ What's the last game you paid good
money for?

Starcraft.

PCZ What's your favourite space film?
MICHAEL Aliens. Bill Paxton's character
'Hudson' still makes me smile when he
yells "Game over, man, game over!"
PCZ Have you ever had a fight?
What happened?

MICHALl The first rule of Fight Club is that
you don't talk about Fight Club.

KEEP MUSIC EVIL

The terrifying blackness of space has rarely looked so colourful.

Just say no to Yes...

In what was a crushing defeat for taste, the original f/oineivoffi/ featured
music from dinosaur prog rockers, Yes. It might have only been one track,
but it was still one track too many. However, if Cataclysnfs designer is to
be believed. Barking Dog is taking a very different approach.

"Actually Andrew Uoyd-Webber is doing our title song and there's a good
chance Cataclysm will open on Broadway. And it will be much better than
Cats, You will want to see it again and again."

Err, thanks for that

AII62M#82PCZ0NE 51

RDA5T BEEFS, I CHALLENGE Wl.

PLAY ONLINE

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Dreamcast

ONLINE ■

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Now you can take on Europe head to head online through your
Dreamcast console. To celebrate this we're giving away free copies
of the online ganne ChuChu Rocket! if you buy a new Dreamcast. If
you already own a Dreanncast you can apply for your free copy
online through Dreannarena, Dreanncast's exclusive website.

PLAY ONLINE

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3A AND DREAMCAST ARE EITHER TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF SEGA ENTERPRISES. LTD. AVAILABLE IN UK. ROI, FRANCE, SPAIN & GERMANY.

CaiTTMlNIRO

Don't spend a single penny until you've checked out the ZOMFreviews first -
well tell you which games you've got to huy and which games to avoid

fill

THE PC ZONE GAMES SYSTEM

This is tlie macliine we use to review new titles on. Our reviewers also
use older machines to get an impression of gaming in the 'real' world, but
this is what we currently consider the best value-for-money set up. As
games become more demanding, the specs will change to reflect that

At the heart of the machine is a 600MHz AlVID
Athlon processor. These babies are seriously
scorching, optimised for 3D applications, so
first-person shooters fly like you wouldn't
believe. Faster Athlons are now available, but
at the present prices, this is probably the best value for
money. The system bus runs at a godlike speed, so the
whole thing is like a supercar with no brake pedal.

Supporting the processor is a MaxiGamer Xentor 32
from Guillemot, purveyors of all things graphicy. Based
on the TNT2 chipset, these RAM-packed beasties are
designed to cope with the polygons, textures and special
effects that those game developers insist on chucking at
the screen. Guillemot has a new GeForce 256-based card
in the offing, which we're hoping to upgrade to soon.

Pionex has supplied the cases and 1 28Mb of PC100
memory for the motherboard. For gaming, especially with
RAM prices as they are at the time of writing, 1 28Mb is the
optimum amount. The cases have room for expansion
without taking up excessive space. Nifty floppy slot too. . .

Hard drive services are provided by the stunning
7,200rpm, 20Gb Maxtor DiamondMax
Plus (from the 5120 family

of drives). It's large and fast with room for full installs and
quick to load games when you want to play them.

Sound services are supplied by VideoLogic. The
SonicVortex 2 card is a PCI device featuring Aureal A3D 2.0,
ideal for gamers. The latest drivers are stunning, using the
card's own chip to reduce the processing overhead on the
CPU when calculating 3D audio. Aureal's API now handles
not only sounds themselves, but also their reflections: as
you approach a doorway, you can hear sounds from the
room reflected into the corridor. Immersive stuff.

VideoLogic also supplies speakers from the superb
Sirocco range. We primarily use Crossfires for gaming -
they may seem expensive, but you get twice the quality
you pay for. Four satellite speakers and a humungous
subwoofer give pinpoint accuracy for 3D audio and bass
meaty enough for the rumbliest explosions. We also use
other speakers from the range (the original Sirocco and
new Sirocco Pro) for sound card testing.

Guillemot's DVD Theater setup provides not only the
ability to load games quickly, but also to watch DVD movies
(essential for reviewing games - not) with its bundled
MPEG decoder card.

Peripherals are supplied by Microsoft, from USB mice
(top-notch for first-person shooters) to the full force-
feedback monty - joysticks and driving wheels -
and the ubiquitous Sidewinder gamepads.
Last but not least, are headphones from Philips
(when the others in the office are suffering
^^^^ from Sirocco overkill) and fabulous 17in
^^^K Brilliance monitors (107Bs). If you're used
^^^^B to cheap monitors typically bundled with
^^^^r new PCs, the crispness and stability of the
^^^^ image on these comes as quite a shock.

REVIEWS YOU
CAN TRUST

We at ZOHE pride ourselves
on telling you exactly what we
think. Our reviewers are the
most experienced and talented
in the business. They're all
experts in their chosen genre, and
won't pull any punches - if a game's
not worth buying, we'll tell you why. But we don't leave it
there. We want to know what you think of the games that
come out, which is why we have our Feedback section on
page 96. This is where you get the opportunity to put your
point of view into PC ZONE.

CHECKTHE SPECS!

The standard spec machine these days is a P233 with 32Mb
of memory - but before a game you need to make sure it will
work on your system. Because the tech specs on packaging
can be a little optimistic, make sure you check out the We
Say bit in our tech specs box. This is where we report on
what we think the minimum tech specs should be. If a game
runs like a tortoise on the machine listed by the publishers,
we'll tell you. All the games reviewed are tested on the
minimum-spec PC as quoted on the packaging.

WHERE TO CAU

Having trouble finding any of the games listed in the
reviews section of the magazine? Here are the
numbers you need to call

Acclaim 020 7344 5000 • AcUvision 01 895 456700 • Anco 01 322
29251 3 • Blue Byte (Germany, 49 0 208 450880 • Codemasters
01 926 81 41 32 • Cryo 01 926 31 5552 • Eldos Interactive 020 8636
3000 • Electronic Arts 01 932 450000 • Empire Interactive 020
8343 7337 • Europress 01 625 855000 • Gremlin Interactive
01 1 4 263 9900 • CT Interacllve 020 8222 9700 • Hasbro
interactive 020 8569 1 234 • Infogrames 01 61 827 8000 •
Interplay 020 7551 4222 • IMcraidS (France) 00 33 1 46 01 54 01 •
Microsoft 0345 002 000 • Rflattel 01 444 246333 • Novaliiglc 020
7405 1 777 • Rage Software Oi 51 237 2200 • Trice 2 interactive
01 753 854 444 • THQ 01 483 767656 • UbI Soft 020 8944 9000
Zablac01626 332233

MErrTHETEAM

All PCZONPs reviewers are experts in their
field. We Wke to give every game that comes chris Anderson
in for review the best chance, which is why
we give it to a fan of the genre

M I tl V

GENRE RPG, adventure, strategy
CURRENTLY PUYING EverOuest
Ruins OfKunark

Who's going to win Euro 2000 and wtiy?

England. Iwcause if ttiey don't, I'm
going to be absolutely skint.

DAVE WOODS
GENRE FPS, RPG, arcade
CURRENRY PLAYING Q3Jailbreak

England. Blind faitti over common

RICHIE SHOEMAKER
GENRE RTS, space combat
CURRENTLY PUYING Counter-Strike

MARK HILL

GENRE Adventure, RPG, turn-based
CURRENRY PLAYMG Championship
Manager 99/00

Turkey, because I have faith in them. Spain, because the boys have to

come good sometime.

54 PCZONE#92AU62000

iNTMiHTinvRt?

CRIMSON

TIDE

90-100%

O REVIEWS EDITOR Dave Woods

Here at ZONE we I
I score every game
out of 100. If a game receives ttie impressive
score of 90 or above, it is awarded ttie PC
ZO/VE'Classic' award. These games are
original, innovative, compelling and are wortti buying
even if you're not really a fan of the genra

Daylight isn't something that
we're accustomed to at PC ZONE.
We spend ail day, every day, in
the basement at Bolsover Street
sweating over our mouse/keyboard
combos, and occasionally ducking
outside to stand blinking in the
sunshine before scurrying to the pub. But something
very strange has been happening this month.

We came back from E3 to find Mark Hill
muttering to himself and blacking out the windows
with sellotape and sheets of black card. We now
have to work in pitch darkness, with the flickering
of screens our only saviour from total sensory
deprivation. But that's not all. He's been off his food
as well, eschewing his usual lunchtime treat - pasta
and a very tasty tomato and garlic sauce - in favour
of one of those viscous red 'nutrition' meal-in-a-can-
drinks. Ditching his beloved Spain in favour of
Romania in Euro 2000 was the final straw, we had
to take action. We've padlocked him in his coffin,
but cleverly we waited until he'd finished reviewing
the rather smnning RPG, Vampire. Flick the page and
feast your eyes on it. It's damn gorgeous.

We also had a review copy of Carmageddon
TDK 2000 this month, but two days before deadline
we were asked to pull the review by the publishers.
Apparently the game is undergoing major changes
over the next month. Rather than run a review of
an unfinished version we decided to wait until
next issue. We don't expect to see TDR 2000 in
the shops before the end of July now, and if you
spy it you should wait for our finished review next
month before purchasing it.

IT'S A TOUGH CM.L..

80-89%:

Games that
I score 80-89 get
the PC ZONE 'Award For Excellence'.
These are excellent examples of their
type of game and if you're a fan of the genre you
should definitely consider buying the title.

Any games scoring between
# II" # ^1 /O 70-79 have just missed an
'Award For Excellence', but don't ignore them. The
score Is well above average and that means you're
getting a great title that's worth the investment if
you're a fan of the genre.

I'll f^OO/ ^>n^ i" '^^^^

#0 don't win any awards, but
they're above average and well worth a look. If you're
not a fan of the genre though, they will probably offer
limited long-term appeal.

Mfl Jinn/ These games are below
^U"4^l #0 average and you should really
only consider parting with your cash if you're a big
fan of the series or genre, or If you happen to see
them at a reduced price.

Games that
I score less than
20 should be avoided. They offer
little in the way of long-term appeal,
can be frustrating and definitely aren't much fun. If a
game is seriously bugged, then it will also fall into this
category. You have been warned.

0-19%;

56 VAMPIRE

A stunning and compelling RPG you can really sink your
teeth into. Well someone had to say it.

62 GROUND CONTROL

For those who prefer real-time strategy without the
usual dollop of resource management.

66 MOTOCROSS MADNESS 2

More tracks, more bikes, more stunts, more trees and a
hell of a lot of horrific accidents.

70 OPEN TENNIS 2000

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. "15, love."

73 METAL FATIGUE

Real-time strategy with huge customisable robots.

75 EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

More RTS, mother nature style.

76 WARLORDS DATTLECRY

The infamous IVar/orcfs series tries its hand at real-time.

79 FLYING HEROES

Part flight simulator, part Quake 'em up. No really.

60 DRACULA: RESURRECTION

The original vampire gets an adventure of his own.

00 PGA GOLF 2000

The best golf game on the PC gets a facelift.

01 ULTIMATE GOLF

A bold claim to make. Especially with PGA sitting above.

01 CROSSCRAZE

Make big words and receive big points in return.

01 TROPHY BASS 4

The current catch of the day simulator.

61 CUECLUB

Pool without the subsequent alcohol poisoning. Shame.

Under the new ZONE scoring system,
new games will have to be pretty
spectacular to receive this award.
They will have to take their genre to
unprecedented new heights, and
represent a major step forward for
PC gaming. There are now very few
titles that can justifiably be described

as PC ZOiVE Classics. This frend will
continue across all genres. Generally
speaking, all ZO/Vf Classics are must-
have titles (the benchmarit title being
the definitive game of the genre), but
that does not mean you should discount
games that score SO-i- per cent. These
games recehre the PC ZOiVf Award For

Excellence and are essential buys if
you are a fan of the genre the game
fits into. Classics, on the other hand,
are games we think will appeal to
everyone and will bring new fans to
that particular genre. There will not be
many of them. When we say a game
is a Classic, we mean Itl

MARTIN KORDA

GENRE Strategy, space combat
CURRENTLY PLAYING Open
Tennis 2000

Probably Germany. Again.

PAUL MALUNSON
GENRE Action. RPG, turn-based
CURRENTLY PUYING Deus Ex
beta version

Portugal, after seeing ttieir
pertormance against England.

CHARUE BROOKER
GENRE FPS, action/adventure
CURRENTLY PLAYING Soldier
Of Fortune

Slovenia, they're a bit good, no realty.

KEITH PULUN
GENRE Adventure/ RTS
CURRENTLY PLAYMG

Ground Control

France, because they've got the
Arsenal midfield.

JAMES LYON

GENRE Action/adventure
CURRENTLY PLAYING

System Shock 2

In an ideal world. Scotland.

STEVE HILL

GENRE Football, racing
CURRENTLY PLAYING

Championship Manager 99/00

France, they're the best team. I
should know, I went to Euro 2000,
because I'm a rea/ fan.

M62(IOO#92PGZONE 55

ItlTm VIMPIRE: THE MilS(|UEIUDE - REDEMPTION

THIMUgyiRU

REDEMPTIOI

2-1, Owen in extra time.
Monster, monster,
monster! :

Tills year's most anticipated RPG Is
finally here. Mark Hill rises from
his coffin to tell you all about It

O £34.99 • Activision • Out now

It is a world of darkness.
Beneath a bright exterior
of harmless entertainment,
large boxes with over-
excited quotes plastered
on them and pleasant magazines
reaching out with a friendly hand
from sunny newsagents, the
computer games industry is
populated by vampires. Clans
of bloodsucking developers
congregate in dart< catacombs,
leeching ideas from other clans
and releasing their creations upon
innocent peasants who carry on
with their lives, safe in the
knowledge that they've seen
something similar before, that it all
fits in their tiny frame of reference.

But the clans are only
pawns in a larger
war, which dari<
publishing princes
conduct from their
impenetrable castles
before descending
on the customers who pace up
and down games shops like cattle.
And if the developers are the foot-
soldiers of this vampiric empire,
then the journalists are the
ghouls: parasites who live off the
dregs of their more creative prey
and who explain away the pallor
of their skin with tales of drugs,
alcohol and cigarettes.

Which is another way of
saying that reviewing a game

1;^

neariy always boils
down to telling you
what other games
it's like and whether
it's any better or
worse than them.
When I tell you that
Vampire is a RPG you immediately
place it next to other RPGs and
start drawing conclusions. Well,
stop right now.

BLOOD SIMPLE

We should start by saying what
Vampire isn't. It isn't a free-
roaming exploration game, like
Baldur's Gate, although you can
wander around without getting
into battles if you want to. It isn't

a claustrophobic game of stealth
and fear from a first-person
perspective, like System Shock 2,
although it can be wondertully
atmospheric at times and you
can go into first-person mode to
get a better look at the amazing
graphics. It isn't an entirely plot-
and character-driven game, like
Planescape: Torment, although
both are absolutely central to
the experience. In many ways it
belongs to the D/a/7/o school of
role-playing, in that it has a linear,
mission-based structure, which
involves a lot of hacking and
slashing. But at the same time
it is much more than all that
because you care about what's

happening. You continue because
you want to know where the
story is going and because
you want to see what the next
environment and next monster
will look like.

The main character is Christof,
a 1 2th century crusader who Is
injured in the field of battle by
infidels and nursed back to healtti
by the beautiful nun Aneska.
Christof falls in love with her and

56 PCZONE#92AUG2000

VMIPIRE: THE MtSIIUEIUUIE - REDEMPTION REVIEWS

Walt a minute, I ttiougM vampires didn't have a reflection. ■ It's wmtti getting killed by this monster to see it moving.

Kiunp/reallows us to act out a fantasy most people have: to be the monstrous killer rather than the helpless victim^

brings the wrath of the church
upon himself. At the same time
he pisses off a clan of vampires
by slaying one of their number.
A rival clan decides he would
make a good addition to their
ranks and embraces him (the
technical term for turning
someone into a vampire). The
rest of the game sees the fallen
crusader's relentless pursuit of
Aneska and a way to regain his

own humanity, becoming a pawn
in a great war between clans
along the way in a story that
twists and turns like an animal
in its death throes.

A MEAN SERVANT OF GOD

But another thing that
Redemption is not, is a horror
game. Despite the electric
atmosphere, the dark dungeons
and the disfigured monsters, you

never really feel scared. There is a
very good reason for this: you are
one of the monsters. You are the
one to be feared. Would Resident
Evil 2 be scary if you played a
brain-gnawing zombie instead
of a weak human? Of course not.
The point is. Vampire never tries
to be scary. Instead, it allows us
to act out a fantasy most people
have: to be the monstrous killer
rather than the helpless victim.

It's a fantasy of power, of dark
and forbidden power. With power
comes responsibility, but not
when you're a monster. You
can throw off the shackles of
civilisation and become an
anarchic wave of violent rebellion.

Vampire tempers this
chaotic drive for the sake of
characterisation and plot. You
have to keep control of the beast
within by hanging on to the little

humanity you have left. Unlike
the character played by Harvey
Keitel in From Dusk Till Dawn,
an ex-priest who regains his
faith in God only to become an
unthinking killing machine when
transformed into a vampire,
Christof is aghast at his loss of
humanity and how his new
condition clashes with his beliefs.

The theme of redemption
leads us nicely to that of

m2000 #92PCZONE 57

llU'iU'.'iiJ VMIPIRE: THE IIUS(|UERIIDE - lEDEMPTION

FANG UK

And you thought vampires were scary

The original Vampire game is a table-top RPG with a huge
following in America. No problem with that. We may poke fun
at the traditional image of bearded blokes sitting in a living
room, throwing dice and majestically announcing the spell
they're going to cast on a passing gnome, but it's just a game
like any other. However, there are people out there, people
who have jobs and lead an otherwise periectty normal
existence, who actually act out Vampire games in live action
gatherings, kitted with swords and capes, wearing make-up
and running around pretending to suck each other's blood.
Some of these events are taking place right here in England.
This isn't sad, It's downright psychotic.

S i f to.

TTansylvannia FC look forward to a promising season.

Vampires Storyteller mode is unlike any other form of
multiplayer you have encountered in a computer gama
As the name gives away, one person must take on the role
of the Storyteller, which is effectively the equivalent of a
Dungeon Master in a table-top AD&D game. The Storyteller
dishes out experience points, places objects and monsters
(he can even control them directly), sparks off events and
generally manages a story. Each multiplayer game is a story
where the players are actors who can just chat with each
other, make decisions on where to go and wtiat to do and have
a direct influence on the way the game goes. The Storyteller ^
must react and sometimes change plot developments to suit
the players actions. Obviously, the better the Storyteller the
better the game, but Redemption does come with two
chronicles (one in the Dark Ages and one in the modem
worid) that only need minimal supervision. And Nihilistic is
promising more to coma We'll be covering the multiplayer
aspect of Vampire in more detail in our new Online section
in the near future, as the Internet community explodes
witti life. And, believe us, it will.

pittmp n 9M

Postcard n. 236. Horse statue in Vienna. "Catching some moon tan. Wish you were here."

JkM

Notice how the portraits represent your health.

^We can't emphasise enough just how incredible ¥ampire\fmks. The
screenshots give you an Idea, but you really need to see It moving^

TRPiwrTEonpi-te

This TTemere vampire Is going straight for the neck. And showing off his new manicure In the process.

58 PCZONE#92AUfi2000

VIIMPIRE: THE MISIIUEIUDE-REDEMPTION rHvIS

9 salvation, or I should say, saving.
To make the game harder you
can only save in your Haven, the
safe place where you can keep
items and turn experience points
into abilities and disciplines. If
you're in the middle of a dungeon,
the only way to get there is by
casting the Walk The Abyss
discipline. Luckily, the game
automatically saves itself every
time you load up a new area,
but only by overwriting the last
automatic save. Somehow, this
system never becomes

frustrating, all it does is makes
you more careful.

FIENDS WILL BE FRIENDS

Your party (or coterie, as it's called
in the game) grows to up to four
characters in some parts of the
game, which means you can
develop the stats for each one
in different ways by exploring
different disciplines.

At first, the fact that you can
control other characters in your
party takes away from the initial
identification and empathy with

Christof. But, while the beginning
of the game is all about plot and
character development, you
quickly realise these are just a
way to carry you through between
battles. This isn't necessarily a
bad thing, it just means it's a
different type of game, beneath
whose unbelievably lush exterior
lies a sophisticated hack 'n'
slasher. And it isn't as if the story
is superfluous. It's a grandiose
yarn that keeps you wanting to
know more to see what's going
to happen next. It does seem

strange that you could
conceivably play most of the
game with one of the other
characters, leaving Christof
behind, when they are just people
who have tagged along to help
the central figure. This works in
detriment of the role-playing in
terms of depth, but it does add to
the variety of gameplay and the
tactics you can use in combat.

To begin with, the battles can
be quite frantic and frustrating,
especially when the other
members of your coterie start

running around or using up
valuable blood points in useless
spells. The key is knowing the
strengths and weaknesses of
each character. You can change
the stance of each (defensive,
neutral and offensive), have them
follow you or leave them behind,
and decide which weapons,
disciplines and items they use
during combat.

THE DEVIL INSIDE

There is never any doubt
whatsoever that your characters

DISCIPUNE AND PUNISH

There are around 15 discipline groups with a varying number of disciplines in each.
Which ones you decide to follow is largely determined by your style of gaming and,
likewise, how you go into battles will be determined by the discipline paths you
have chosen. Some are ideal for straightforward hacking, like Fortitude and Feral
Claws, while others encourage a more paused approach to combat, using stealth
and mental control, such as Obfuscate and Domination. There are some disciplines
which you need to develop in order to make your undead adventure a much
smoother ride, and are grouped mostly under the Common Disciplines: Feed (the
good old teeth in the jugular). Blood Healing (an exchange of blood for health)
Awaken (to revhre coterie members who have fallen into torpor), and Walk The Abyss

(which opens up a portal directly to your haven - this only closes once you have
gone to the place where you cast it from). You'll also find Spirit's Touch (to identify
objects) and Cloak Of Shadows (a certain degree of invisibility) pretty invaluable
too. You often find scrolls lying around that allow you to use these disciplines even
if you haven't learnt them, but relying on them can be a dangerous business: once
you've run out, you're stuck.

Each discipline has five levels, although you'll need plenty of experience points
to reach the higher ones. Levels affect the discipline's length, power and the amount
of blood needed to cast them.

Here's a look at some of the more interesting disciplines.

PSYCHIC PROJECTION

Discipline Group Auspex
Effects Used primarily as a scouting
device, you can send forth your astral
form to wander undetected and
unharmed among unexplored areas.
This is especially useful in deciding
whether you need to prepare yourself
for an onslaught and if you should
pop back to your haven to re-supply
and save your game.

MASK OF A THOUSAND FACES

Discipline Group Obfuscate
Effects Want to walk among ttie enemies
seen but completely ignored? Then with
this spell you can take on the appearance
of any other creature and walk around
their domain. It is also most useful as
a scouting method, because you can't
attack monsters in this form. You can,
however, walk right past them and take
an item from under their noses.

COMMAND

Discipline Group Dominate
Effects Rather than taking on the
appearance of your enemies, you
can use this discipline to actually
control their bodies from a distance.
You jump into their skin and can attack
anytiody around you, hopefully causing
chaos and damage. More often than not
It will also end in the death of the
possessed vampira

SHAPE OF THE BEAST

Discipline Group Protean
Effects While Beckoning allows you
to summon an animal out of thin air
to fight on your side, this discipline
actually transforms the caster into
a wolf. It isn't particulariy useful in
battle unless you happen to be
physically weak at the time, but
it's worth trying just for a quick
run around on four legs.

SKIN OF THE ADDER

Discipline Group Serpentis
Effects AlttKMigh this snake discipline
group belongs to the followers of Set,
you do get to learn it later in the game.
This spell turns your skin Into a magical,
snaky scale, making you more resistant
to damage. There are also spells to
create vipers and to hypnotise enemies.

SUMMON SOUL

Discipline Group I
Effects Wraiths are among the hardest
creatures in the game to kill. Their
contortions and lack of flesh make
striking a hit an event in itself and their
claws cause masshre damage. This
spell summons one of these wraiths
to fight akMigside you.

FLAME RING

Discipline Group Lure Of Flames
Effects A spectacular fire attack
(remember that vampires are especially
susceptible to be hurt by fire), this
sends out a circular wave of flames,
causing devastating damage to
everyone around you except those
In your coteri&

MIST FORM

Discipline Group Protean
Effects A vampire power shown in
many films, this turns the user into
a cloud of green mist. Only fire and
sunlight can harm you in this form.
Mist Form is perfect for reaching
areas that you wouldn't be able to
access wrhen in solid form.

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 59

This monstrosity is an obscene collection of tendons, gaping mouths and razor-sharp teeth. Beautiful.

SECOND OPINION

ZONES team of undead have their say

CHRIS ANDERSON

It has been said around the office that
Vampire^s Incredible graphics alone are
reason enough to play it. Consider then,
that it has depth of gameplay to match
its gorgeous visuals and you can imagine
what you are in for when you finally get
your hands on this gama Vampire is ttie
new benchmaric for the role-playing genre, and we have
seen nothing on the horizon that comes even close to it
(with the possible exception of Dungeon Siesre). Game of
the month, by a long shot

DAVE WOODS

It's not often that I agree with Mart Hill.
He supports Spain in football, hates
hip-hop and thinks ttiat he's better ttian
me at Quake III Yeah, right However, this
time he's spot-on. Vampire is not only ttie
best-looking RPG I've ever seen, but an
engrossing and brilliant game as well.

RICHIE SHOEMAKER

It was all going so well until reaching
modem-day London where the accents,
characters and locations wero so out of
step with reality that it's plain to me that
none of the developers have ever been
here. Either that or Nihilistic has been
watching too much MaryPoppins,
However, that's just me and maytie I'm missing the point
Vampire is a truly masterful spin on the traditional RPG and
coming from a non-RPG fan, it's certainly the direction I'd
like the genre to go. In multiplayer games too. Vampire
comes as a blessed relief. I'd rattier get invohred with
Vampires Storyteller mode than play Evertfuest

"Marty, the lightning will strike any minute now!'*

OWALKTHi^dUGH

CUTTING
YOURTEETH

You won't see daylight
for long after starting
tliis game. And we
mean that in every
possible sense

P are vampires, rather than
some random collection of fancy
fighters with a few magical spells
thrown in. You have a frenzy
meter that measures how much
of a grip the beast within you has.
Every time a character takes a hit
from an enemy your frenzy levels
go up, especially if you're low on
blood, and you have less and less
control over them, up to the point
where they'll start kicking,
hacking and biting the nearest
thing to them, even if it happens
to be one of their friends. Your
blood pool works much in the

It seems unfair to compare such
different games and pick out which
is better, even if they are all
ultimately RPGs. Nothing comes
close to Planescape in terms of
storyline and character
development, while 552 is unrivalled
for atmosphere. Diablo is pure hack
'n' slash and its upcoming sequel
looks set to wither next to Vampire.

Planescape: Torment

System Shock 2

Diablo

same way as mana does in other
RPGs and you draw from it to use
your disciplines (or spells if
you prefer). You can get blood
supplies from vitae bottles you'll
find scattered around (or plasma
bags in the modern age) or from
sucking it out of pedestrians and
other vampires, you can also feed
off other members of your coterie.
The game forces you to resort to
this in many instances where
vitae is hard to find. However,
suck a human dry and you'll lose
humanity points, making you
much more likely to frenzy. Can
you imagine such a humanity
system in Soldier Of Fortuned?
You'd be a slavering rabid dog
within minutes.

As a result, there's always a
delicate balance to be kept
between blood, health and
discipline casting. You also have
to keep in mind that a low health
level affects your stats, such as
strength, dexterity and stamina.

Disciplines have a definitive
impact on the gameplay. You use
them to solve puzzles (although
these seem to be rather simple
and infrequent, like the one that
requires you to transform into
mist to get by an otherwise lethal
swinging pendulum to the switch
that turns it off) and to plan your
attacks. Luring enemies towards
you instead of rushing in like a

fool, is often the best tactic. At
other points, you need objects in
rooms so heavily guarded the only
way to reach them is by disciplines
of deception and shadows.

TONGUE-TIED

There's an extensive background
history to the world of Vampire, as
you would expect from a table-top
RPG that's been around since the
late '70s. It's a complete alternate
world, with an intricate mesh of
clans, personalities, social
structures and a real sense of
past. Redemption does a great job
of introducing you to it all
throughout the game, if you
haven't been bothered to read
some of the heavy tomes
chronicling this history or the
watered-down version in the
manual. But there are still some
instances where you'll wonder
just what the hell the people
around you are talking about.

Some of you will probably be
put off by the language in the
Dark Ages, with its constant use
of cod-Shakespeare, littered with
"thous", "thys" and "thines". As
far as we know, people in the 12th
century didn't speak like this.
Especially in Prague and Vienna.
And even more especially when
they happened to be French
Crusaders. But as an artificial
means of creating a sense of

D Still bandaged you leave
your bed to slice up

BSent out to slay a vampire
In the mines, you seek out
tlM blacksmith.

SHere you buy a torch and a
buckler. Unfortunately, It's all
you can afford.

B These knights don't reckon
your chances much.

60 PCZONE#92JIU62000

There are some ridiculously reflective surfaces. Perfect to show off your killer PC.

"Barman, bloody mary, easy with the Tabasco."

s9 g ^ ^.

Supper is the most important meal for a vampire.

being in a distant past it wori<s.
The Shakespearean tone isn't just
linguistic though, it's embedded
in some of the game's very
themes. The forbidden love
behA/een Christof and Aneska
echoes that of Romeo And Juliet,
while Christof 's inner struggle
brings back memories of Hamlet.

If you fell asleep reading that
last paragraph, though, you'll
pleased to know l/^amp/re doesn't
explore any of this in great depth,
moving quickly to exploring
dungeons, caverns and castles
with the sole motive of hitting
things over the head with a large
piece of metal.

SMALL CITY LIGHTS

We can't emphasise enough just
how incredible Vampire looks. The
screenshots give you a fair idea,
but you really need to see it
moving to appreciate its full
beauty. We guarantee that during
the first few days you'll spend as
much time angling the camera

and going into first-person view
to admire the world around you as
you will playing. We'd go as far as
saying that it's the best looking
game we've ever seen, and we
can't imagine anything beating it
for a while. You could stare at the
architecture, the player models
and some of the monsters for
hours without getting tired.

It's not just visually stunning
either, the music is superb
throughout and the excellent
sound effects create an
atmospheric environment.

There is a certain trade-off
to this. The cities are necessarily
small and sparsely populated,
and the interaction with the
environment is strictly limited.
You can roam the streets as
much as you like, but you have
no freedom to go into all of the
houses. Most of the doors are just
part of the scenery and serve no
function, so no matter how much
you want to play out your
vampiric role, slipping into the

bedrooms of beautiful maidens to
suck their blood before drawing
your cape across your red-stained
face before disappearing in a puff
of smoke, it's just not possible.
For the game to feature true
free-roaming in a realistically
modelled city would have taken
Nihilistic a decade to program and
you'd need a computer the size of
your front room to run it. So for
the most part, this isn't a problem.
Until you come to London.

The modern age levels are
mostly disappointing. They're not
as bad as the Xen ones in Half-
/.//e (although they are much
bigger), but they have the same
effect of not quite satisfying in
the same way as the rest of the
game. There are some excellent
parts (the temple of the followers
of Set In London, for example),
and they are by no means boring
to play through, they just don't
meet the high standards of the
first part and have you feeling
almost immediate nostalgia for

a land of broadswords and
plague-ridden streets. Not least
because modern day weapons
don't seem quite as effective.

London is such an awful
American pastiche of cliches
(bobbies, red phone boxes, red
double-deckers) that it becomes
impossible to suspend disbelief
in the same way you can with the
medieval era. The cobblestone
streets, the gas streetlights, the
fog, the rain and the architecture
itself resemble the '30s Hollywood
set for a Basil Rathbone Sherlock
Holmes film. In New York, things
improve considerably and you
suddenly remember how fantastic
the game really is. You're now an
Elder vampire and your powers
are greater than ever. As a
consequence you spend more
time exploring your disciplines.

VAMPIRE UNMASQUERADED

As long as you don't come
to l^a/77p/re with the wrong
expectations, you are unlikely

to find a more challenging,
rewarding or gorgeous RPG.
The Masquerade world is so
engrossing that you don't want
to leave it, its shapes and
contours so exquisite you can't
keep your eyes off it, its battles so
demanding you can't stop rising
to the challenge, its dark vampiric
powers so alluring you are
hypnotised and vulnerable, lost
in a trance as it drains your life
away. Soon, you too will look like
us. Pale, bleary-eyed, afraid of the
sunlight, your teeth aching with
an insatiable hunger for more. [S

PCZVEBDICT

G UPPERS Unsurpassed graphics •
Great story • Hugely addictive
• Music worth listening to

O DOWNERS Very linear • Small,
unpopulated cities • Modern age
not so good • Little interaction with
other characters

SAnd neither do you after
seeing this feliow.

SMore monsters to slay
until you finaiiy reach
your first vampire.

H Instead of rewarding you,
the bishop casts you out for
fancying a nun.

Bloody marvellous

0 These revenants have been
sent to kiii you. Soon you will
be undead anyway.

TECH SPECS

MINIMUIVI SYSTEM Processor P233
Memory 64Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

3D card WE SAY This game looks too
good to play it on anything less than a
PHI with a 1 2Mb RAM 3D card. However,
you can turn as much detail as you want
off on slower systems

AUG 2000 #92 PC ZONE

A dropship gets ready for touchdown.

Missions take place in day and night.

GROUND CONTROL

©£39.99 •Sierra •Out now

RTS games are coming thick and fast. Keith
Pii///n wastes no time getting stucic in

What's going on here
then? This can't be
right. Have those
devious PR chimps
been drugging our
water again, or is this the third
superb RTS game in as many
months? Forgive the cynicism,
but generally speaking this sort
of thing doesn't happen round
here. First Shogun: Total War,
then Earth 2150 an6 now this?

Yes, Ground Control is an
absolute stonker of a game
from debut developer Massive
Entertainment. Hailing from
Ronneby, Sweden, they've spent
the last three years creating what
has turned out to be a hybrid of

The New Dawn (the bad guys),
to colonise an alien world. Both
sides rely on giant motherships
orbiting the planet to send
troops to the planet's surface
and to claim new territory -
oh, and find alien artefacts of
mass destruction.

enough raw materials to
manufacture units, and thus you
don't have to fall asleep, or
browse pornography on the
Internet while your production
line troops are laboriously 'born'.

(7C simply pops your ready-
made army onto the battlefield

Force Commander, Earth
2/50 and Homeworld More
significantly GC \s a major leap
towards ensuring that playing
RTS games is as easy as scoring
in a brothel.

So, what's the story? Basically,
Ground Control is a straight race
between two warring political
parties, the Crayven Corporation
(the player) and the Order Of

^BroundControl'is a major ieap towards
ensuring tliat piaying RTS games is as
easy as scoring in a brotliel^

CUTTHECIUP

To put it bluntly, GCgets
straight to the point by washing
its hands of the whole resource
management thing. In other
words, you never have to build a
base, thus you don't have to go
through the motions of collecting

using a dropship (or three)
and away you go. It's a simple
concept. Some argue that it's
just a bit too simple, but let's get
one thing straight: the strategy
element does not suffer. GCs
level designers have proved that
by adding enough twists to the

plot and concentrating on creative
scenarios, RTS isn't solely about
building the biggest base or
producing the most troops
before the enemy attacks.

Anyway, just because you
don't build bases yourself, it
doesn't mean they don't exist.
They play their part in the slowly
unfolding plot, as do many other
strategic locations throughout the
30 or so levels. Your job is to kill
people - not build poxy houses.
That's left for the builders - and
so it should be.

So, what can we expect
from the missions? Well, on one
mission your team is dropped
into the surrounding foothills of
an enemy stronghold and ordered
to attack the east defences while
your computer-controlled
co-commander and his squad

The route taken to a selected destination depends on the
type of unit involved.

There's never a dull moment at the frontline - just look at
those mortars go.

Attention to detail is incredible - the bullet holes In that
barracks Is just one example.

62 PCZONE#92AUG2000

me marines get stuck Into some electro-jungle warfare.

With action like this, the boys from the artillery always
earn their money In style.

Simply click the icons at the bottom of the screen to
select a unit. That's it. Easy.

Cornering the enemy In a tight valley usually has a
positive outcome.

assault the west side. This
co-ordinated push must be
timed accurately or its curtains
for both teams.

On another mission you're
required to protect your own base.
Two dropships speed your troops
to the planet surface where you
must find strategic locations
outside the city to dig in and fend
off the approaching Dawnies.

Other forays ask you to
protect scientific convoys, some
ask you to simply patrol an area
and sometimes you have to
rescue defectors. Rest assured
there is plenty of variety - you
won't be bored.

GROUND CONTROL TO
MAJOR TOM

One of the most significant
gameplay aspects of GC is the
way you're encouraged to
recognise the value of each
individual unit. Whether it's
infantry, light tanks, battle tanks,
artillery, aerodynes (airborne
attack units), or any of the other
numerous units featured in the
game, your primary concern is
to have as many of them survive

as possible. The reason? Because
in true Cannon Fodder st^\e each
unit gains experience for the
amount of Dawnies killed and
the manner in which those kills
were achieved.

If your infantry charges ahead
of the main pack and wipes out
an entire enemy force single-
handedly, they're awarded a
medal for field excellence and
classed as aggressive.
Alternatively, you could have a
tank platoon that sticks to the
main core of your force and
protects them like a mother
would its children. The same
amount of kills can be achieved
this way, yet the unit is classed
as defensive or balanced.

On top of all this, units also
get promoted. Ultimately your
strategy in the latter part of the
game involves running around
like a nutter protecting your
experienced campaigners,
because if you reach the final
showdown with a bunch of
rookies you don't stand a chance.

Of course, none of the above
would have worked if the Al and
interface weren't so damn good.

What's most impressive about
Ground Control is how easy it is to
get into and play compared to the
likes of Shogun: Total War or even
Force Commander and Homeworld.
Graphically, it's probably the best
RTS around, and it also shows
exceptional value for money with
more than 30 missions and four
difficulty settings. GC\s up there
with the best and definitely
shouldn't be missed.

SHOGUN: TOTAL WAR

GROUND CONTROL

HOMEWORLD

EARTH 2150

MEIALnmGUE

Each unit has three attack modes:
free, return and hold. You can also
set the movement mode to
offensive, defensive or hold
position, and finally you can
have the formation as line, box

DRqPSH|PWLLq|^^^^^^

Before each mission you get to choose the units you want
to send down onto the pianet's surface. This is effectively
the only resource management in the entire game.
Thankfully, It's nowhere near as time consuming and drawn
out as building a base and creating an army from scratch -
however, it is just as important. After ail, you want to make
sure you've got the right tools for the [ob.

Choosing your troops is the closest GC gets to resource management.

AUG2000#92PCZONE 63

' or column. Whichever
combination you choose, units
perform exactly what they're told.
6C doesn't throw hundreds of
icons at you either like other RTS
games; in fact, you won't find a
single confusing icon. The
interface is so straightforward
you can perform virtually every
command with the right mouse
button alone. It's simplicity
personified and it makes the
whole thing a joy to control.

LOCATION. LOCATION.
LOCATION

Hiding in shadows beneath
mountains, lurking in long grass
and ambushing in narrow valleys
are tactics that reward the wily
player over and over again.
Shrewdness is a massive part
of the game and the sooner you
grasp that the better. The addition
of computer-controlled friendly
forces also means you can
experiment with a whole range
of diversionary and flanking
tactics. It's worth trying this at
every available opportunity too,

^The view distances
are incredible:
landscapes seem
to stretch for
miles with
textures laid down
to perfection^

because like the tutorial says,
armour is strongest at the front,
so going for the sides or the rear
can lessen your casualties and
shorten conflicts.

While computer opponents are
slow to catch on to these tactics
(although not necessarily on the
hardest of GCs four difficulty
settings) human opponents are
an entirely different story.

The multiplayer options for GC
are varied and utterly engrossing.
Interestingly, yet completely in
line with the game's general
philosophy, LAN and Internet
skirmishes focus more on the
action side of things rather than
waiting to build up your troops for
one massive assault. Capture The
Flag and deathmatch scenarios
make up the majority of the
remote play, but whether you
choose to fight alone or as part of
a team is completely up to you.

I SEE YOU

So far there hasn't been one
mention of the graphics. Why?
Because as you can see for
yourselves, they defy belief. The
latest batch of 3dfx cards are

Mission accomplished, just in the nick of time.

The battle rages outside the main base.

Use the camera to get the best view of the action.

If you zoom in close enough you'll find plenty of gory dismemberment.

devastating weapons in the hands
of the right coders, and GC \s solid
proof of that. The view distances
are incredible: landscapes seem
to stretch for miles with textures
and intricate bump-mapping laid
down to perfection. The
explosions cause you to shield
your eyes, and when all is calm
the shadows from clouds and
mountains sweep over the
landscape in majestic silence.

The dust clouds and track
marks churned up by your forces
may be a gimmick, but as we all
know it's the little touches that
pay massive dividends. The only
negative aspect in this respect is
the lack of weather. Earth 2150
- that prize is yours.

Then there are the camera
angles. You can zoom in and out,
rotate left and right, look up and
down and generally experience
total freedom to go wherever you
want on the map - you can even
assign the camera to follow
specific units. What you can't do
is split the screen up and have
separate windows. Again this is
where Earth 2150 nudges ahead
In the innovation stakes. This may
be a small gripe, but you can't
help thinking that multiple
windows is set to become a
mainstay RTS feature.

IN AND OUT

Unfortunately, and inevitably, the
absence of resource management
will put off many hardcore RTS
fans. If you feel you fall into that
category Shogun or Earth 2150
will be more your cup of tea.

On the other hand, if all that
resource lari( bores the arse off
you, this game has your name
written all over it in 150ft high
neon letters. Ground Control goes
straight for the jugular - in, out
and no messing about. Buy it
- you won't regret it. [S

PCTOERDICT

O UPPERS Very easy to pick up and
play • Units can be carried to next
mission • No resource management
• Gorgeous graphics • Very few icons

O DOWNERS No resource
management

Instantly playable,
long-lasting RTS
brilliance

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P200
Memory 32Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

400Mb hard disk space WE SAY Pll 333
with 64Mb RAM and a 3dfx card

MASSIVE ATTACK

Massive Entertainment was founded In 1997 by a couple of
vef7 bright University graduates. Based in Ronneby, Sweden,
IMassive now consists of about 20 programmers, artists and
game designers - by today's standards a small team. Ground
Control \s its first game, but probably not its last.

VALUE YOUR TROOPS

The key to success in Ground Control is using the same units
over and over again. The more missions they survive, the
more experience they gain and the more lethal they becom&
Eventually you'll learn to love and protect your squads as If
they were your own family. After each mission you can go to
the debriefing room to find out exactly who killed what and
whether anybody deserves any medals or special honours.

An unstoppable force takes advantage of the shadows.

The more missions you survive, the more lethal your units becoma

e4 PCZ0NE#92«N2ail

What's a world
without hcroes9

UlARLORDS

Prepare for the first hero-based real time strategy game.

www.warlordsbattlccry.com

PC CD-ROM WINDOWS 95/98

(02000 The Learning Company (UK) Ltd. trading as Mattel Interacive. All rights reserved. SSI is a trademark and SSI logo is a registered trademark of The Learning
Company (UK) Ltd. <'c)2000 Strategic Studies Group. All rights reserved. Warlords Battlecry and the SSG logo are trademarks of Strategic Studios Group.

IHTinMIITOCIIIISSMIIBNESSZ

MOTOCROSS MADNESS 2

O £34.99 • Microsoft • Out now

Steve /////used to do motocross, and he's
also been in a mental hospital

When the original
Motocross
Madness was\}e6
up in the squalid
basement that
passes for the PC ZONE office,
it's fair to say that more than
a few eyebrows were raised.
New-fangled 3D accelerator
cards were all the rage and the
game utilised them fully, throwing
around some impressive visuals
in a perfectly acceptable manner.
More importantly, it was an
extremely playable game, and
grown men were seen to laugh

like children as riders were tossed
around like rag dolls in a buriesque
display of bone-crunching action.
And it wasn't just us simpletons
that lapped it up, the world in
general clutched the game to its
collective bosom, and it probably
went some way towards

establishing Microsoft as a
major games publishing force.

Two years on and the
obligatory sequel is upon us,
and while it hasn't quite inspired
round-the-clock vigils, there has
been a modicum of interest. It's a
tricky title to follow up though,
largely because the first one was
so good, but also because of the
nature of the game. After ail,
there's no tenuous licence to
update and no tedious storyline to
rehash. It's simply a case of
attempting to make it better If
bigger is better, then that's what
they've done, as Motocross
Madness 2 6\Naris its predecessor,
both in terms of graphical detail
and physical size of environment

OBJECT OYERKIU

Basically, the developer Rainbow
Studios has thrown in everything
bar the proverbial kitchen sink,
from trains, planes and
automobiles to trees, bushes and

larger version of the original
Baja section, but populated with
the aforementioned objects.

Not since Death Ctiase
2000 on the Spectrum has a
motorcyclist been in such close

^Watching your rider go arse over tit
is undeniably amusing. Unfortunately,
watching it every 30 seconds isn't^

entire trailer paries (albeit sadly
without white trash living off road
kill while listening to Elvis Presley
and watching Godzilla\N\\[\ the
sound turned down). These and
other delights are to be found in
the "all-new" Enduro Racing
section, which is basically a

proximity to such a large number
of trees, and while the graphics
may have moved on a tad, the
outcome is the same. And it
can be extraordinarily annoying.
Watching your rider go arse
over tit is undeniably amusing.
Unfortunately, watching it every

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The ones that never knock

The "all-new" career mode doesn't deviate wildly from
standard fodder, enabling you to advance from raggy-arsed
weekend warrior to stadium-bound idol. It is, however,
notable for a piece of oblique comedy ttiat occurs wtien you
are down to your last dollar and accept a deal under the
condition that you wear the sponsor's uniform. We don't
want to give it away, but suffice to say it is one of the more
absurd sights in recent gaming history.

Go from grease monl(ey to stadium icon.

66 PCZONE#92ADG2000

MOTOCKMUIIESSZnTTjnv!!

30 seconds isn't. One of the best
aspects of the first game was the
wide open spaces and the
unfettered throttle opportunities
they offered. Being sunk up to the
nuts in cacti doesn't give the
same sense of freedom, and
while a careful rider can easily
dodge them, you end up wishing
they weren't there. And by the
magic of "computer wizardry,"
they don't have to be. At least not
in the traditional sense of solid,
dangerous (and irritating) objects.
By deselecting the so-called
Vegetation Collision option, said
vegetation can be reduced to the
role of mere decoration, thus
rendering its inclusion pointless,
unless of course you derive a
perverse pleasure from driving
through solid objects like a ghost.

THINK BIKE!

So you can lose the trees, and
for the sake of close racing it's
probably advisable to do so.

However, the same can't be said
for other objects, and while riding
through the discarded wreckage
of a light aircraft might make for
a hilarious press release (unless
you're David Coulthard or Frankie
Dettori), actually getting
entangled in its undercarriage is
no more fun than playing Extreme
Biker. The gimmicky approach
continues with the so-called
ambient vehicles, which aren't
so ambient once your face has
shattered their windscreen,
leaving your body a twisted,
contorted wreck. If the public
information films of the '70s have
taught us anything, it's that cars
and bikes don't mix (and that gas
explosions can be triggered by
the spark from a light switch).

High speed collisions
involving motorcycles and more
conventional four-wheeled
vehicles generally end with the
motorcyclist crushed beneath the
wheels or tossed through the air

like the aforementioned rag doll,
something that happens regularly
thanks to the scripted appearance
of the odd juggernaut. Likewise,
cars suddenly emerge from the
midst of the desert in a somewhat
contrived manner, almost as if
they're there to make you crash.

Hang on though, that's exactly
the sort of thing that happened in
Midtown Madness, which was
undeniably ace and skill. This
might just be a random theory
concocted during a brief moment
of clarity, but it's quite possibly due
to the fact that with a car there is a
greater window of opportunity for
evasive action. On a bike, it's all or
nothing. If you clip something
you're off. In a car you can scrape
a bit of paint woric without greatly
deviating from your course, leaving
you to concentrate on the time-
honoured ritual of pretending to
shuffle dice while unleashing a
tonrent of foul-mouthed invective
into the rear view mirror.

All of which is a mildly damning
overview of the game's supposed
new part, which isn't really new,
just bigger (with the added bonus
of causing chronic slowdown on a
borderiine recommended spec
PC with 3D card).

SAME AGAIN

So what else is new? Well,
there's a career mode, which is
covered in a mildly Informative
fashion elsewhere. Otherwise
it's the same as it ever was,
comprising open-plan Baja
races, outdoor Nationals, indoor
Supercross events, and the
much feted Stunt Mode, as well
as some multiplayer tag-based
comedy. From the top, the Baja
races really allow you to let rip -
particularty if

G|yEMEFm

Motocross Madness 2
now features five
different types of event
for you to scramble over

Think once! Think
twice! Think bikel

BAJA

Wide open space and a series
of checkpoints make for all-out
speed racing.

ENDURO

Even wMer spaces populated
by a host of objects, including
other vehicles.

NATIONAL

Hardcore races over a series of
tight outdoor tracks.

STUNT

Points are awarded to riders
who pull off the most
outrageous stunts.

SUPERCROSS

The glamour event, raced over
man-made tracks in front of a
packed auditorium.

Even the busies get involved.

AUG2000#92PCZONE 67

irTn^MIITICRISSMIUINESSZ

A handily positioned plane crash.

"Look Dad, one hand!"

' unhampered by vegetation -
with success hinging on a
combination of speed, skill
and navigation. The Nationals
are virtually identical to the
first game, and as such are
raced over tight tracks that
offer numerous opportunities
for extended air time, with
almost as much of the race
spent off ground as on it. The
supercross tracks offer even
more airborne action, with the
addition of a crowd to whoop at
your aerial prowess.

If anything, the handling of
ttie bike seems to be based on a
more arcadey model than before,
enabling you to comfortably make
unnaturally lateral landings that
would normally result in a pelvis-
shattering experience. Also,
the bikes seem to be grossly
overpowered for the circuits, with
one injudicious blip of the throttle
enough to launch you into the
shrubbery, or in the case of the
stadium races, almost into the
crowd. You then have to re-enter
the track via the route of exit
within five seconds lest you be
magically transported back to

where ttie indiscretion occurred.
The game is also extremely
unforgiving in this aspect, as
simply straying off the edge of the
track for a second can result in
this penalty, even if no advantage
was gained. Bastards.

CUNNING

The stunts are as elaborate as
ever, and while not providing a
particularly fierce test of manual
dexterity - press a button with a
direction - they are undeniably
spectacular, particulariy if viewed
with the aptly-named thrill-cam.
On the subject of cameras, the
game defaults to a fairiy zoomed
out chase view, sometimes giving
the impression that you're
operating the bike by remote
control - which of course you
are - rather than up close and
personal. It can be zoomed in,
at which point it becomes
immediately unwori^able as you
can't see where in the name of
Christendom you're riding. There
is a first-person view, but without
the reference point of the
handlebars, it's akin to someone
gluing your eyes open and

There is little to choose between the
two Motocross Madness games, so
get the cheapest Forget the rest.

Motocross Madness 2

shaking your head about in a
life-threatening manner.

Getting back to the handling
for a moment, a further
modification is available in that
accelerating in the air forces the
front of the bike to rise whereas
braking makes it pitch forward.
Either or both options can be
selected, but they do seem a little
superfluous, given that leaning

backwards or forwards has the
same effect. It was, of course, this
independent rider movement that
helped make the first game such
a belter, and it makes a welcome
return, going some way towards
countering the perennial problem
of bike game dynamics.

MUD IN YOUR EYE

Ultimately though, it doesn't really
capture the feel of motocross, a
sport that - for a competitor at
least - is about more than
sticking your legs out 30ft in the
air to impress the ladies. In reality,
it's about tight braking and
acceleration, choosing the right
line, and stalking your opponent
until an overtaking opportunity
arises, aspects that are rarely
alluded to in this game. Motocross
is also about the sheer terror of
leading a field of 40 riders - the
game allows only ten - and of
being engulfed in a choking cloud
of dust. Some weather effects

WHOOO?

Man with girl's name designs game

Avid viewers of Channel 5's night-time output might have come
across the exploits of young motocross champion Stephane
Roncada, who is generously credited as the game's co-designer.
Apparently, one of the developers went round his house to record
some bike sounds, Stephane showed him some tracks he'd made
for the first Motocross Madness, and business was dona

would have added variety, but as
it is, the sun always shines.

The developers have cleariy
gone for the Pepsi Max angle,
witti the raucous soundtrack from
beach metal no-mari<s Incubus
providing an eariy pointer. To be
fair, it isn't pretending to be a
simulation, and despite the above
gripes, there is still enough here
to engage the weak-minded for a
couple of hours. It's just not the
great leap forward hoped for,
and the gimmicky additions seem
to be a case of over-egging the
cake. Describing it as a glorified
expansion pack might be a little
harsh, but to all intents and
purposes it's just some more
tracks. Motocross Madness
in new trousers. G3

PCZVEBDICT

O UPPERS Independent rider control

• Loads of tracks • Passable career
mode • Track editor • Occasionally
extiilarating

O DOWNERS No great advance • Only
ten opponents • No weatfier effects

• Ropey camera options • Often
frustrating

lt*s much more of
the same

The tradttlonal pink flamingo adorns this scenic trailer park.

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P300
Memory 64IVIb WE SAY Despite Claims
to ttie contrary, you'll need at least an 8Mb
v3D card

68 PCZONE#92m200l

PnTin OPEN nNNIS 2010

OPEN TENNIS 2000

O £34.99 • Cryo • Out now

Martin Korda played heavy metal music
In the office all week while reviewing
this game. He claimed he needed a racket
to play tennis. Sigh...

Not since Unreal
Tournament an6
Quake III \\as there
been such a popular
game in the PC ZONE
office. So popular in fact that it
achieved the near impossible
feat of making Chris Anderson
half an hour late for the pub so
he could play just one more set.
But Open Tennis 20(?(?does that
to you. It's got this strange kind
of charisma, where you think
you're going to hate it and yet,
somehow, you end up loving it.

0T2000 manages to keep a
near-perfect balance between
realism and gameplay. Its crisp
graphics and smart presentation
draw you into the screen, to the
point where you think you're
actually there. All that's missing
are the strawberries and cream
and overnight queuing for Centre
Court tickets. The thud of ball on
racket sounds incredibly real,
and the crowd chant, clap and

side of the net. If you get to
where the ball's going to bounce
quickly then you get ages to
place your shot. If you're dictated
into rushing from side to side
then you only get a split-second
to place your shot and thus have
very little control over where it's
going to go. Not only does this
accurately replicate real-life
tennis, it also stops the usual
embarrassment of swinging
your racket at the ball like a
psychopath swatting flies.

It's a bit of a shame that the
players tend to mince when they
run and walk around as though
they've lost control of their
sphincter muscles, but hey,
nothing's perfect.

^0T2000\s not just a little entertaining
but hugely so, even if you don't
like tennis^

even ooh and ahh in all the
right places, which is
almost unprecedented
for a sports sim.
Then there's the ball
movement which is
hugely accurate,
and once you've
mastered the
initially confusing
controls, you'll find
yourself effortlessly
executing the shots
performed by real-life
professionals.

CONTROL FREAKS

The controls are actually the
cleverest bit of the whole game
and the reason why we're still
playing it now. It works like this:
as you move your player towards
the ball, you choose your shot
(slice or top spin) and then aim a
yellow target on your opponent's

The most enjoyable part of
0T2000 is the ability to play the
type of game which suits both
you and the surface. On the
speedy lawns of the English

You're going to have to hunt around
for the other two games in this list
if you want to play an alternative to
Open Tennis 2000. Our suggestion is
don't bother, just go and buy 0T2000
Instead. However, if you're desperate
to play tennis online, then Game Net
AndMatct} may well be worth a look.

Open Tennis 2000

Game Net And Match

Pete Sampras Tennis 97

Open (Wimbledon in all but
name), using serve-and-volley
tactics will nearly always prevail
against Neanderthal ball
pummelling. However, on the
slower clay surfaces of the
French Open, you'll find that
baseline rallies are as numerous
as crap British tennis players.
Hard court and indoor surfaces
are also available, and again
affect the speed and style of
play. Now here's where the
unrealistic part comes in. Some
of the rallies are truly mammoth
affairs and require lightning
reactions, at times resembling
badminton rather than tennis.
Instead of this being annoying
though, it adds a real sense of
fun to a hugely realistic game.
If you're female and prefer
to play with girls (no
ambiguity intended), or
you're a pervy spotty
oik desperately
hoping to see a
glimpse of some
female panties,
then there's the
option to play
women's tennis.
This is also very
true to life, with
most rallies going
on longer than
Anna Kournikova's
legs. Doubles games
are a superb laugh,
especially if you play with
friends, and teamwork is
essential. Up to four people
can play 0T2000a\ once, but
unfortunately there are no LAN
or Internet options. This is a
huge shame, but we have been
promised that this problem will

Serve-and-volley
tactics are the way
to win on grass.

"And I haven't even broken out In a sweat. See?"

70 PCZONE#92AUGZ000

OPEN TENNIS 2000 nmn'!?!!

Book seats for Wimbledon now or you'll end up with a view like this.

MILLER

be rectified in future titles. There
are no real-life players, which is
a little disappointing, but that's
more to do with the red tape
surrounding the multitude of
sponsorship deals in professional
tennis than any laziness on the
part of the developers

DOUBLE FAULTS

Open Tennis 2000 is a game that
has captivated the office like few
others. It has some glitches of
course, such as occasionally
allowing you only one fault on
your serve instead of two. The
replays are also a little on the
weak side, and you can't pick
your opponents in single games.
However, the most important
thing is that 0T2000 is fun. Not
just a little entertaining, but
hugely so, even if you don't like
tennis. Considering the inherent
difficulties with reproducing a
sport like tennis, we reckon Gyro
deserve to look forward to healthy
sales figures. As it is, the game
will probably disappear faster
than one of Pete Sampras'
serves. Which is what I'm going
to do now, so I can have another
go. Anyone for tennis? IS

l>f2yERD|PT

O UPPERS Very realistic • Huge
amount of fun • Four-player multiplay

O DOWNERS Strange player movement
• No Internet or LAN options • Poor
replays • You can't choose your
opponents

Game, set and
match to Cryo

Use the linesmen for target practice.

TCCH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor Pll 233
Memory 32Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

3D card WE SAY Pll 266 with 8Mt) 3D
graphics card

OWALKTHiU)UGH

Henman and that
Canadian chap
notwithstanding, we're
not very good at tennis.
So, direct from the
experts (alright, Korda
actually), here's some
helpful advice on how
to master the court

DAs you're playing on grass,
It's important to get a good
first serve in. Press the shoot
button once and hold it down
while you move the yellow cursor
to the desired position in your
opponent's box. Push forward
when you release to put extra
speed onto the ball.

SAs soon as you've hit the
serve, rush towards the net.
If your serve is effective, your
opponent will have real difficulty
returning the bail with any
accuracy. By rushing the net,
you're cutting down the angle
for the opposition's return, as
well as setting yourself up for a
point-winning volley. You've got
them on the ropes already.

BAs you get to the ball at
the net, press the top-spin
button and hold it down while
positioning the cursor again.
You may not have time to hit
a winning shot at this stage, so
play your return to the back of
the court, aiming if possible for
the comer furthest away from
your opponent. To play the shot
release the shoot button.

EDue to the narrow angle
that your opponent has for
their return, it's likely that if they
try a passing shot, you'ii be able
to intercept it, and win with a
simple volley into the comer of
the court. Again, hold down the
shoot key to get you to the ball,
and aim for the edge of the court
Power Is not too Important here.
Placement is everything.

AUG2000#92PCZONE 71

PC CD Rom

Curve Interactive) Ltd.SCi (

Most missions are spilt Into three layers: underground, surface and orbit. This is the underground. ■ Losing limbs isn't a problem - you can always nick some more from your opponents.

METAL FATIGUE

O £29.99 • Psygnosis • Out now

Keith Pullin checks out some extremely heavy metal

With a name like
Metal Fatigue
you'd be excused
for stifling a yawn
at the prospect of
another futuristic, base-building,
resource collecting, real-time
strategy jaunt. Indeed, MFhas
little in the way of innovation
- even its 3D landscape seems

from a distinct lack of flair. In
short, you won't find a more
mediocre real-time strategy
game if you scour every games
shop on the planet, and then
some. The real shame about it is
that among this gaming rubble,
there's actually one element that
works surprisingly well. This
single ray of light is the 'Combof.

You won't find a more mediocre real-time
strategy game if you scour every games
shop on the planet, and then some^

sterile alongside the full weather
and day/night cycle of Eartti
2150. To really rub salt into the
wound, compare MF to the
irresistible Ground Control an6
Psygnosis' limp misfit sinks
into obscurity.

But don't get us wrong, MF
isn't utterly awful - it just suffers

Metal Fatigue could not have been
released at a worse time. Compared
to the likes of Shogun: Total War,
Ground Control, Eartti 2/50 and the
rest, it looks dated, and plays even
worse. Avoid it unless you really
want to customise those robots,
of course...

SHOGUN: TOTAL WAR

GROUND CONTROL

HOMEWORLD

EARTH 2150
METAL FATIGUE

ROBOT WRESTLING

Dwarfing every other unit in
the game, these four-story tall
robots can be customised to suit
any battle situation. Weaponry
such as katana blades, axes,
electrogrip hands, laser swords
and more can be fitted for
close-range duels, and if it's long-
range gear you're after then
plasma cannons, gattling guns,
missiles and other ordinance
should suffice.

Watching a brawl between
two closely matched machines is
surprisingly enjoyable: they duck,
block and even kick and wrestle
with each other to gain an
advantage. It's a bit like watching
a giant robot version of WWF -
but with guns for when things
aren't going your way

Tussles can go on for ages,
and at the bitter end the victor
usually has a shortage of limbs
to show for its efforts. Not that
being limbless is a problem for
too long - you can always pick up
and use the weapons of other
fallen 'bots. This means you can
own a Combot that's entirely

made up of salvaged enemy
parts. It's actually great fun,
especially when you discover
an alien weapon that you've
never come across before and
end up vaporising half your
own army the first time you
attempt to use it.

Tbe other units in the game
are nowhere near as exciting.
It's the usual suspects really:
tanks, missile bikes, artillery
and gun turrets are all there
operating relatively intelligently
(yet excruciatingly slowly) on
a diet of basic sub-commands,
such as guard, patrol, melee,
wait and attack.

The only other vaguely
interesting thing about MF\s
that you can play as one of three
warring factions, which means
there are three completely
different scenarios on offer.
This is scant consolation for a
RTS game that's generally as
bog-standard and tiresome
as its title suggests. (kS

l>imRDICT

G UPPERS Extremely customisable
robots

O DOWNERS Bog-standard units •
Dodgy graphics

Fatigue?
More like totally
knackered

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM P2U0 ALSO
REQUIRES 32Mb RAM WE SAY Aiiy
Pll with 64Mb RAM and matchsticks to
pin your eyes open

Mi^4.i

Defend your base with gun turrets. Seen It all before thank you...

MPs one saving grace is combat between four-story customised 'bots.

Careful with that axe Eugene.

AU62000 #92PCZONE 73

ivine rewards for devilish tricks I

Manage your own airline company.
With real time cartoon management simulation
you can select your own planes and y
choose from hundreds of routes.
It may not be an easy ride... / •

i'f,..

^ 1 m^\m

•

MONTE (

.RISl

THE MANAGEMENT GAMES COMPANY

www.montecristogames.com

EMPIREOFTHEIINTS REVI

L-i

This green git will cause you all sorts of trouble In the game. | Even we could draw better visuals for this ant hill Interior. ^ Resource collection and combat take place above ground.

Time to slug It out with this beetle.

The micro management can really bug you.

A rock star insect gets mobbed by some fans.

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

O £29.99 • Out now • Microids
When Martin Korda was given this game to
review, he started itching uncontroliably,
but that's another story

The moment this game hit
my desk, I have to admit I
felt mixed emotions
about it. Not even the
editor's pacifying words
of: "You're one of our resident
strategy experts, here's an
interesting looking RTS for you to
review," helped sway me in a
particular direction.

History is resplendent with
high points for these little insects,
such as Antz and Bugs Life. But
there have been some equally
spectacular lows. You need look
no further than Ant from Ant and

text before starting the
campaign, you'll find it actually
helps give EOTA some much
needed charisma.

The first thing that strikes you
when you start playing are the
graphics. Not the pretty nature
artwortc of the above-ground
locations, but the sub-standard
looks-like-an eight-year-old-
drew-this interiors of the ant hill.
This aside, we found that EOTA
had a fair amount to offer.

As you've probably guessed
from the previous paragraph, the
game is set over two locations -

^The idea behind this game is to create a
prosperous and powerful nation of ants who
can survive in a world full of predators^

Dec to see what I mean.

Empire Of Ttie Ants is at least
based around an original enough
concept (for an RTS game), which
allows it to stand out from the
crowd. The developers have
given the insects human
characteristics and a history,
which is presented in a CD-based
encyclopedia. If you can be
bothered to wade through the

surtace and ant hill. Resource
collection and combat take place
at ground level, while building
your colony occurs in the ant hill.
The idea behind EOTA is to create
a prosperous and powerful nation
of ants who can survive in a world
full of predators, natural hazards
(rain, frost, etc) and rival colonies.

You get to control every aspect
of your industrious ant kingdom,

Hard one this, actually, a very hard
one. In fact, none of us could think
of anything really that would
directly compare to EOTA, apart
from the archaic Sim Ant. Dave
and Mark did come up with Hungry
Horrace (an old Spectrum game).
So really, if you're into RTS, you're
going to have to go for hi-tech super
weapons {C&C: Tit)ehan Sun or
Earth 2150} or knights in armour
charging down archers {Stiogun
or AoEII}.

Empire Of The Ants:
Shogun

Age Of Empires H
Earth 2150
C&C:T1ber1an Sun

from egg laying to job allocation.
You even have to make sure that
your ant hill stays at the right
temperature and is well
maintained. Neglect any one of
these tasks and your kingdom will
fall into decay and disrepair.

Although it's a nice enough
idea, the game actually suffers
from being set over two tiers.
Let's say you're underground

sorting out which type of ant to
build next. You'll probably be too
preoccupied to notice the praying
mantis on the surtace, sneaking
up on your warrior ants. And by
the time you do, it will be too late,
and subsequently you'll end up
losing loads of troops.

Controlling your ants is a
simple enough affair, as warriors
can be commanded with the
mouse, and all other ants are
directed through menus. This
makes it easy to distinguish your
army units from your workers,
which is a huge relief considering
the complexity of the game - and
EOTA is complex. You're going to
have to love micro management
as much as nature if you want to
get the most out of it. The combat
sections are pretty uninspired
affairs, even though there are
plenty of predators out there
prepared to have a little go at your
troops. If you're going to get any
real enjoyment here, then it'll be
from managing your colony. Even
then, you're going to have to be
verging on the anally-retentive
side to fully appreciate it.

Empire Of Ttie Ants is a highly
ambitious game, one which
attempts to move the RTS genre
away from hi-tech weaponry and
into the natural world. OK, the
graphics may not be up to scratch,
but the involving gameplay

compensates for the shoddy
visuals. The multiplayer and
skirmish options help to improve it
further, by adding a greater sense
of immediacy and excitement,
which is so sorely missing from
the campaign missions. Despite
all its flaws, EOTA is no disaster -
far from it. But its below par
graphics, slightly clumsy interface
and dull combat sections hardly
inspire you. As a result of these
shortcomings, we can only
recommend this to you if you're an
RTS fanatic, a micro management
freak or David Attenborough. [kB

O UPPERS Plenty of gaming depth •
Interesting new slant on an RTS
game • Loads of micro management

O DOWNERS Terrible ant hill graphics
• Uninspiring combat • Slightly
clumsy interface • Loads of
micro management

A wildlife RTS. not
quite how nature
inteniled it

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor Pll 233
Memory 32Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

3D card, 200Mb RAM WE SAY P350.

8Mb graphics card and 64Mb RAM

AUG2000#92PCZONE 75

■nrinWIIIIlOIDSUnLEClY

WARLORDS DAHLECRY

O Out now • Mattel Interactive • £29.99

To buy a Wariord or not to buy a Warlord,
that is the question. Martin Korda is here
to provide the answer

Imagine for a minute that
you've just walked into a
futuristic car showroom.
You've been driving your old
manual geared car for quite
some time now, and you want to
buy an automatic. No one's really
making cars where you have to
change gear every time you want
to move anymore, and that's why
you've come here.

After browsing for a short time,
you're spotted by a salesman.
He slithers over to you, looking
greasier than Michael Portillo
rolled in chip fat, and nods
knowingly as he looks outside.
"Ah," he says, "I see you're still
driving the old Wariord Marie III.
A great car for its time, but a bit
dated now." You feel slightly
embarrassed for being so retro,
but assure him you're looking to
buy a new vehicle today. Sensing
a hefty commission, he gestures
for you to follow him.

As you walk through the
showroom, you learn about each
of the cars. The EA Shogun, with
its massive engine and state-of-
the-art technology; the Westwood
Conqueror, with its Hollywood
image and easily accessible
interior layout; the Microsoft Age
II, with its host of features and
precision workmanship.

Finally, you come to a car that
looks somewhat familiar. The
salesman turns and looks you in
the eye. "Now this one I think
you'll like. The Wariord Marie IV,
the first ever automatic Wariord
vehicle." You look at it dubiously.
It's hardly the prettiest car in the
showroom, and next to the other
vehicles looks more out of place
than a granny working a red-light
district. However, it seems like a
reliable car, and as you're feeling
a little nostalgic, you think it
wouldn't be such a bad choice
after all. "So how much cheaper is
this one?" The salesman laughs
smugly. "All cars in this showroom
cost practically the same." So
here's your dilemma. Do you
invest in the flashiest and most
advanced car in the shop, or get
all sentimental and go for the
Wariord. Put that way, it would
seem that the decision would be

76 PCZONE#92m 208l

obvious. Or would it? As the
salesman knows full well,
familiarity and nostalgia can be
powerful selling tools.

LOOKING UNDER THE BONNET

The Warlords games have always
been firm favourites among
strategists. Up until now they've
all been turn-based affairs, but
Warlords Battlecry is an attempt
to translate everything that's good
about the series into real-time.

On the surface it looks like
just another standard RTS relying
on an established brand name,
destined to fade into obscurity
after selling ten copies, half
of which are bought by the
development team. But take a
closer look and you start to
realise that this is an RTS of some
quality, and it does justice to all
that we know and love about the
Warlords games. So the graphics
aren't great, and they look about
two years old, but like opening the
bonnet of a crap-looking car and
finding a turt)o charged engine,
WB has more to offer than its
visuals might suggest.

HERO OF THE DAY

The game's background is set up
by an atmospheric intro, in which
two strange comet-like objects
crash on the mystical land of
Etheria. It's then up to you to
uncover their mystery. The main
campaign is divided into several
chapters and, after the second
one, the storyline branches out,
offering you two choices. You can
either keep fighting for the
side of good, or indulge your
darker side by defecting to evil.
This gives you the perfect
excuse to do fiendishly
wicked things, such as
enslaving the land,
plunging it into
eternal dart^ness
and putting your
toenail clippings
into people's
sandwiches.

As with
previous games in
the series, you get
a hero to lead your
troops. Due to plenty of

Everything is dead calm after closing time in Etheria.

RPG elements, there's a lot of
scope for character development,
and as the story progresses, your
hero will gain ability points. These
can then be used to improve his
skills and attributes.

It becomes imperative in each
mission that you preserve your
hero, so that you can keep

The hero development is one
of the most engrossing parts of
WB, especially as there are so
many ways in which this can
be done. You have to pick a
profession for him, choosing
from a selection of warrior,
rogue, priest or wizard. These in
turn influence your hero's skills.

^You have two choices - you can either iceep
fighting for the side of good, or indulge
your darlcer side by defecting to evii^

advancing him (oddly there are no
female hero choices) throughout
the campaign. He can influence
the armies in his command,
allowing them to move faster and
fight better, while stopping them
from being a bunch of cowardly
wimps who run away at the first
sight of a one-legged zombie
armed with a blunt toothpick.

which range from physical
prowess to spell-casting abilities.

TIME TO PICK A FIGHT

The actual missions are generally
pretty entertaining and
challenging. Although there are
a couple of duds where you can
literally leg it past hordes of
enemies to get to your destination.
There are few funnier sights than
watching a geriatric wizard who
complains he's tired all the time,
outrunning an entire legion
of skeletons. Resource
management is
kept simple, and
constructing buildings
is also very easy.
Your hero doubles
up as a builder,
which is a bit
strange, but it
hardly ruins the
game. One annoying
glitch we found was
that if you build three
buildings too close to

each other in a triangular area,
your hero can get boxed in and
trapped, which is bloody annoying.
There's a large selection of units
to bolster your forces with,
ranging from nancy-boy pikemen
to hardcore cavalry. You can also
research new technologies, units
and unit upgrades.

Another nice touch is that
your hero can learn and cast
spells, which adds an extra
dimension to every battle. There
are numerous formations to put
your troops into, and using the
right ones at the right time can
make a real difference to the
outcome of an encounter, as they
create some interesting tactical
possibilities. Weather conditions
and terrain also have an effect
on combat, and very few units are
immune to becoming overcome
by fear and running for their lives
when they come across a greatly
superior enemy.

Completing each of the
missions is made more difficult
t}ecause of the limitation on the
number of units you can build.
This means that unlike in C&C:
Tiberian Sun, where each mission
could be won by sheer weight of
numbers, you need to be careful
and tactical about how and
where to deploy your armies.
After all, this is a strategy game,
and cunning tactics are exactly
what you need if you're going
to get anywhere. It's unfortunate
then, that sometimes the enemy Al
shows about as much intelligence
as David and Victoria Beckham

WlllllORDSBIimECIIYlllTjTT!'!!

OWALKTHRdUGH

Those of you who need to go to the toilet should go now.

Another ritual burning - it's part a day's work.

Each race is affected in a different way by weather
conditions, surroundings and terrain.

Everything was in place for the grand opening of the first minaotaur kebab shop.

trying to grapple with algebraic
equations. You'll be firing at
enemy armies, and they'll just
stand there wondering why they
suddenly don't feel all that well.
Instead of going to find out who's
shooting them, they just die.

EXTENDED PLAY

After finishing the campaign, you
can either play a skirmish mission
or take on your friends in a
multiplayer game, both of which
are superb fun, as you can set
your own victory conditions.
There are nine different races
to choose from, all with their
own strengths and weaknesses.
And because of this, you'll need
radically different approaches to
tactics for each one. The longevity

and multiplayer options of WBare
two of its most alluring features,
and you can even create your own
maps with the editor provided. All
in all, there's more than enough
variation and fun to keep you
occupied for months, and that's
what makes Warlords Battlecry
worth buying, despite its poor
graphics and occasional quirks.

WHY BUY A CUD WHEN YOU
CAN HAVE A FERRARI?

OK, imagine you're back in the car
showroom again. You've heard all
about what each package has to
offer What's it going to be? The
dated-looking but relatively well
constructed and familiar Warlord,
or the groundbreaking ShogurR
If you go for the Warlord, you'll get

a reliable if slightly glitched
product, which will be fun to drive
and will last you a long time. But
if you go for a test drive in the
Shogun, you'll soon realise just
how inferior the IVar/orcf actually
is in comparison, and it's unlikely
you'll ever want to go back. The
Warlord 6oesn'\ offer anything
particularly new. Saying that,
though, some people just don't
like the flashy things in life. So
before spending your money
on this game, just ask yourself
one thing. If you're seriously
considering buying a new car,
would you buy a Renault Clio if
you could have a Ferrari for
virtually the same price? We'll
leave you to work the rest out
for yourselves. [S

ZOMBIE KIUINGF|^^^^^^^

Gather the troops, it's time to Icill some undead.
Hold on, isn't that technically impossible?

; tells you that the valley
I looks like a good place for an
enemy ambush. Although he's
got a stupid beard, which makes
him look like Brian Blessed, he
is an old war veteran and knows
what he's talking about. Caution
is required here.

SSend a scout up the valley.
Scouts have a better field of
vision than most units, and so
they can spot an enemy from a
distance without endangering
themselves. It looks like Minos
was right - a group of undead
are lying in wait for you.

BThe undead wizard is too high
up to attack, and will cast
devastating spells if your men are
In range. Choose a formation that
allows you to move in single file
and hug the left side of the valley,
taking out the skeletons as you go.

HNow it's time to get rid of the
skeletons on the other side
of the valley. Get your men into
formation and engage each group
of undead separately. They won't
stand a chance against your
organised forces.

STIme to take out that wizard.
Stay in formation and, if he's
low on health, leave your hero
behind, just In case he gets killed.
Although the wizard is powerful,
he hasn't got a prayer against
all your troops.

S Victory Is yours. Thanks to
forward planning, sensible
scouting and organised tactics,
you've annihilated the undead with
ease. All that's left now is for you
to sit back and feel very smug
about your tactical genius.

imERpiPT

O UPPERS True to the series • Plenty
of scope for strategy • Excellent RPG
and tiero development elements

O DOWNERS Occasionally suspect
Al • Very poor graphics • Pales in
comparison next to the new breed
of 3D RTS games

Fun to play, true to
the series, but never
outstanding

There isn't an RTS game out there
which can touch Shogun a\ the
moment. But if you're scared off by
huge armies, Age Of Empires //is the
better bet. If you prefer controlling
futuristic units, then check out
C&C: Tibehan Sun. Warlords is by no
means a poor game, and if you've
ever longed to play the series in real-
time, you won't be disappointed.

Wartords Battlecry

Shogun

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P?33
Memory 64Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

1 30Mb HD Space WE SAY PII266. 64Mb
RAM and a 4Mb graphics card

Age Of Empires II

C&C:Tiberlan Sun

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 77

PREMIER COLLECTION

R£7Ufij JS Wmi i aCxCKmSi ?C CD RCM TiHES

lart'^ DevBlopad t>y Onemato. 0 and Pi*^
Commandos: Beyond Ihe Caa 0* Ou»y. D«w^)«d

Oevrioiied by Spoils MaraclM UmiM O and Pul«^

FLYING HEROES I!iTjtT!TI

It's certainly foggy in this fantasy land.

Let's hope I don't spout off! See? I'm in a teapot. Sigh.

FLYING HEROES

O £29.99 • Take 2 Interactive • Out now

Putting down his copy of Biggies Takes It Rough, James Lyon dons
his goggles and hops into the coclcpit of the ZONE review piane

Since developers
discovered that all
gamers want to do is
kill people they've never
met, multiplayer games
have been shooting out of their
creative orifices thick and fast.
Flying Heroes is no exception, a
flying fantasy first-person shooter
on the PC. Anybody who's played
any other recent FPS will have
no trouble picking this up. Unlike
Descent it's impossible to spin
your craft through 360 degrees -
only being able to hover up and
down - which means less cause
for confusion and less time trying
to gain your bearings. And now for
the bad news...

STRADDLING A GOOSE

It's best to concentrate on the
single-player mode as this is
what really lets the game down.
You're presented with a career
mode in which you compete in a
set number of matches in different
leagues, winning cash for frags so
you can purchase and upgrade
ships and weapons until you're
daddy of the airways. There are
four participating teams, which
I could go into detail about but,
apart from the Magions, they're
not particularly interesting. The
Magions, obviously having a
sense of humour, like to fly
around in giant barrels, teapots,
prams or any other offbeat
modes of air transport. Just for
the record, the others have gone
for slightly different variations
of giant birds, flying lizards
or airships. Each team has a
different style of flight, but not so

speed in the first place. But it
does get better later. With the
exception of the airships, the
latter vessels zip along at a fair
pace. Although playing in career
mode it is going to take a long
time to get that far and you
are not likely to enjoy the
pace beforehand.

Speed issues aside, you can't
avoid the fact that the weapons
are some of the most
disappointing to grace the PC in
quite a while. None of the
weapons seem to stand out as
being particularly striking. Most
are weak, lacking any real
feeling of power and
variably having
cripplingly
long reload
times.

DE(S)CENT?

Despite all its
weaknesses, the
game would bo OK if it
wasn't so unnecessarily
complicated and difficult.
Even playing on the easiest
level involves the strong
possibility of being shot down
with great frequency.

Herein lies the problem: if
you can't get enough frags to
earn cash, you can't buy any
upgrades and thus can't win
any of the later, harder matches.
And since you can't go back to
earlier matches in a season,
you're stuck until the end before
you can start again. You do,
however, get to start with all
the cash and upgrades you
accumulated before. It could be

placed against its rivals. Quake III
and Unreal Tournament e\ al have
nothing to fear. Flying Heroes 6\6
show promise at first, but poor
weapons and speed problems see
it plummeting from the skies of
fondness faster than a dead hippo
In a hot air balloon.

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P 1 66
Memory 64Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES

4Mb 3D card WE SAY Pll 400. 1 28Mb
RAM, Voodoo3 or similar

Giant flying birds. How's that for
bizarre flight modes?

Magic Cafpef springs immediately
to mind, as does Descent 3 and
Ouake III. All tietter games than ttiis.

^The Magions, obviously having a sense
of humour, like to fly around in giant
barrels, teapots, prams or any other
offbeat modes of air transport^^

Floating Islands? It doesn't get more magical than this.

much that they can't be controlled
in a similar way.

All would be fine, if it were not
for the fact that in this fast-paced
gaming genre your initial choice
of vehicles is agonisingly slow.
There's always the option to boost
your speed using a gradually
replenishing supply of magic, but
It would've made much more
sense to be able to move at that

said that perseverance is the
name of the game. But it's not,
it's Flying Heroes and having to
play through a league again is
demoralising enough to make
you give up before you can reach
the better stuff.

Because you can start off with
a fully upgraded ship, multiplayer
is comparatively more enjoyable,
but still feels uninspired when

nxyERpiCT

G UPPERS Nice looking • Levels try

something slightly different
O DOWNERS Poor weapons • Some

annoyingly slow craft • Dubious

difficulty levels

Disappointing, as it
loolced lil(eitwas
going to be a whole
lot better

The airships, though the most powerful, are the slowest of the lot

AU62000#92PCZONE 79

lEWSJOitlS

If you'd rather ignore this peasant - forget it. You can only interact with the characters you are pointed to.

DRACULA: RESURRECTION

O £34.99 • Microids • Out now

TECH SPECS

SYSTEM Processor P 1 66 Memory 32Mb RAM WE SAY A P233 with

64Mb RAM

Be afraid, be very afraid. The dead are stalking the Earth, bringing a
dark blanket of despair over all of humanity. Or at least the part of
humanity that plays PC games. Those of you who thought the Myst
adventure game was dead and buried with a 3D-accelerated stake
sunk deep into its monorail heart will be distressed to know that
Dracula: Resurrection is here to resurrect it.

The story follows on from where Bram Stoker's book left off, seven
years after the Count has been hunted and destroyed by Van Helsing
and CO. Of course, the world's premiere vampire is still undead and
sucking, prompting Marker's wife, Mina, to go to him, obviously deciding
that necrophilia is the thing for her. Your job is to guide Marker to
Dracula's castle, save his sex-crazed spouse, kill the Count, again, and
solve some incredibly boring puzzles on the way.

The game borrows as much as it can from the Francis Ford Coppola
film, right down to Jonathan Marker being a Keanu Reeves-style tosser
with a weird mix of English and American accents. Unfortunately, it has
none of the style, panache or imagery. The gameplay is as limited and
simple as any Afysf game, allowing you less freedom than you'd get in a
rolling dice adventure book. You can only move where the arrow lets
you, and you can only interact with the minute number of objects that
the game points you to. If you're part of the generation who cried with
joy into their cups of tea when /?/Ven dulled our screens, you may very
well be getting your PG Tips ready. The rest of you will just shake your
heads in disbelief and mutter something like, "those crazy French
people", probably using more offensive and xenophobic words.

Mark Hill

Who lives in a house like this?

One of those incredibly boring puzzles.

PGZVERDiCT

39%

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF 2000

OC39.99» Sierra •Out now

TECH SPECS

I SYSTEM Processor P 1 66 Memory 32Mb RAM WE SAY
P266. 64Mb RAM

^1-^ In PGA Championship Golf 2000 Sierra has
followed in the footsteps of yearly update

Illtyjin ' l "i^^stros EA Sports, by providing minimum
IIilSlU^^ improvements to justify a full-price release.

Graphically, you'd be hard-pushed to notice any
differences: greens, fairways, crowds - it all looks the same.
Acoustically, nothing's changed either: the commentators'
smart-arse digs remain identical and they still tell you
where your ball's going to end up before it's even stopped.

In fact, at first glance you might be forgiven for thinking
you've been palmed off with exacWy the same game. Get a
few rounds under your belt though, and the subtle, brilliant
differences stand proud.

The physics engine is one of the best available. The ball
bounces, kicks up, spins and bounds around the course
with consummate realism. The patented Trueswing has
also been adjusted to incorporate pace and tempo, and is
now the most realistic swing interface ever devised.

There are five new courses and complementing
this is a superb course architect. On top of that, the
tournament designer means that you can now create
entire seasons, with features such as prize money,

adjustable cuts and hundreds of golfers. And finally, as
always with the PGA series, the online clubhouse is
packed full of eager virtual golfers of all standards just
gagging for a round.

On the downside 40 quid is a hell of a lot to pay for
what is essentially an add-on pack, and you just know that
there's going to be yet another update out next year. But
what can you do? PGA 2000 is currently the closest you
can get to playing golf without setting foot on the coarse.

Keith Pullin

PCZVERDICT

84%

Just one of the five brand new courses.

80 PCZONE#92AU62000

CRICKET 2000

O £34.99 •EA* Out now

TECH SPECS

I SYSTEM Processor PI 66 Memory 32Mb RAM ALSO REQUIRES 4Mb video card WE SAY P233
and 64Mb RAM

EA released its first cricket game about a year ago, and the thought of getting the annual
update didn't inspire us one iota. Having sat down and played through every type of match,
we're still singularly unimpressed. It's not that it's a terrible game, and if you're the sort of
person who's quite happy to sit in the stands at Lords for five days and watch a test match
without: a) drinking yourself stupid; or b) falling asleep, then this is probably the one item
your life is missing.

The trouble is, cricket isn't an easy game to code and the ills that are served up here
are replicated in the previous version and Codemaster's Brian Lara. You never really feel
like you're in control of the game, and exciting subtleties (like a ball nudging to the slips)
are as dull as a pair of biscuit-coloured Y-fronts.

Another criticism is that Cricket 2000 6oesn'\ have the glitz or the glamour of other EA
titles. Where FIFA and even Ice Hockey are getting the big budget treatment, the company
seems content to make this look like a very distant cousin, with poor and unfinished
animations heading up the list of suspects.

You do get more control than in Brian Lara. If you're batting you can move your man
while the ball is being bowled and this gives you the freedom to move off the wicket to
play a stroke. Bowling is a bit more tedious. A target moves around drunkenly and you get
to place it as accurately as possible - it's not as hard as it sounds - and add spin. It's far
too easy to move the ball and it's too easy to send accurate delivery after accurate delivery.

On the default settings we managed to bowl Australia out for 27 and then struggled to
win the game (admittedly, we were playing as England). But if you persevere with the
controls and ramp up the difficulty settings, there's a game for cricket boffs and toffs the
worid over. Us? We're praying for rain and dying to ask EA what the difference is between
this one and last year's effort

Dave Woods

ITJVERDICT

51%

The world's least successful bowl.

Don't expect the sheen of other EA games.

Raging fires and meteor storms

Tidal

waves and kurricane winas

inJj

Perilous environments
Destruction and devastation
Amazing Kingdoms
Dragons and Serpents
Skeletons and \\4rerats
10 new ckaracter classes

26 new skills, sf)ells
and st)ecial abilities

A comt)letely new mission

Traditional class roles or
lead a kand of monsters.

It's going to ke a long day.

;V!K1

Cricket. As seen from the field.

ULTIMATE GOLF

OUbi Soft • £29.99 • Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P2()() Memory 32Mt) RAM WE SAY
A long walk ruined

Golf is all about subtle little nuances and a decent PC
conversion has got to reflect this. Keith Pullin, in his review
of PGA 2000 {see review on page 80) made this point most
eloquently: the update did little to enhance the graphics, but
got the physics engine and the true-swing system spot-on.

Ultimate Golf, on the other hand, is a perfect example
of how to get a game dreadfully wrong. Using the right-left
mouse swing, it's possible to accurately place the ball to
within 10 yards almost every time you take a shot. To end
up with a scorecard that contains any pluses at all you
have to attempt an impossible shot and end up in either
the trees or the water.

When you get on the green the ball flies around at top
speed until just before the hole when it screeches to a halt
and stops. Curves on the green seem to play little part in
the actual trajectory of the ball, and the distance shown is
always in yards, never inches. So get less than a yard from
the hole and you're told you're 0 yds away, which is helpful.

We also encountered a horrendous bug that meant we
couldn't change clubs on the fringe of the green. Despite
being recognised as fairway we were forced to use a putter
and guess how much speed the game was going to take off
for the longer grass. To add insult to injury, the caddy we
were given was obviously on some sort of day release,
suggesting we use a wood 1 6 yards from the hole. You get
banned for that sort of thing round our way.

It's a shame because there are a few small touches
that are good, such as the fact that you can switch to walk

mode and inspect your shot from any angle. Pre-rendered
golfing sims look stunning but don't give you this
freedom. This obviously isn't enough to save this game
from the panning it deserves, although if you've got
a young child that's desperate for a golf game this one
is simple and easy to play. And that's not supposed
to be a compliment.

Dave Woods

IH: VERDICT

27%

V7t

I've got one. It's a monster..

TROPHY BASS 4

0^39.99 •Sierra •Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor PI 66 Memory 32Mb RAM WE SAY Get a stick and find a river.

Fishing is a sport with multiple complexities, often scoffed at by those who know little
about it. However, it's always proved difficult to convert into a computer game (except on
the Dreamcast with the innovative rod controller), and that's the case with Trophy Bass 4.

It's immensely detailed, and comes with its own comprehensive guide which covers
every type of fish, the effect of weather conditions and a host of fishing tips, but it fails
to capture the serenity of the real thing. It only took us seven minutes to catch our first
two fish by casting out and reeling in a few times. It isn't this easy to catch fish in reel
life (groan! - ed).

Trophy Bass 4 isn't fun, although it's probably not aiming to appeal to the usual gamer.
Avid fishermen may gain a bit of pleasure because of its comprehensive array of equipment
and features and it's best suited to those who want to learn more about fishing. However, if
we'd caught something as ugly as this, we'd throw it back in.

Martin Korda

CROSSCRAZE

O £1 9.95 • Ort Software • Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor 486 Memory 1 6Mb RAM WE SAY Shareware specs for a sfiareware game

Sadly, the title doesn't refer to a first-person shooter where everyone runs around yielding
religious iconography and crushing other people's skulls in an effort to prove their
madness. That would be fun. Instead we're presented with a £20 quid shareware Scrabble-
clone which has the audacity to announce itself as a crossword game. No. Crosswords are
the things people do on trains, screwing their faces in a mask of concentration, and are to
be found on the back of newspapers. This is Countdown without the detestable Richard
Whiteley. If you were to download this from the Internet you'd probably spend a few happy
minutes with it and delete it after a few days wondering why you ever wasted your time.
Crosscraze isn't a bad game, but then neither is Solitaire. See if you can make a well
known phrase out of these letters: OGKFIUFRPNIFC.

Mark Hill

Hi VERDICT

25%

OK)

fS) flE)

IMP

m OE)

C9EI

am
cm

BUG tcor*i 12

PaVERDICT

42%

It's like scrabble, you see. Only It's on your PCI Crazy, Isn't It?

82 PCZONE#92AU62000

Chris at 8-ball. As per usual.

Snooker
Kid UnltrKW O

CUECUIB

O £24.99 • Midas •Out now

nCH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P 1 66 Memory 32Mb RAM WE SAY It's not a complicated game and works

'.v(.'ll on a low-end system

In a recent game of Killer against the major game companies and a couple of PC Gamer
wannabes, Chris Anderson surprised everyone, including himself, by taking the cash. And
then proceeded to bore everyone (including the manager of the pool club) with the details
of the brilliance of his winning shot, despite the fact it was over the pocket and about a foot
away. The actual truth is that our esteemed editor was seeing double at the time, and was
aiming for the phantom ball.

If you play pool this story will be very familiar. One of the greatest non-exercise sports
going, it's best played with friends in the surroundings of a local pub. The PC equivalent is
playing online, but amazingly this game has failed to exploit this possibility.

Even more bizarre is that the game is built around a virtual chat room, as if the
developers wanted the Internet side, but couldn't code it. So instead I had to enter fictitious
bars, and hawk around for a game. Laughably, getting a game is almost impossible to start
off with. As a beginner no one's interested in playing you, and after about 15 minutes of
being ignored and insulted by virtual opponents I left with a complex.

Thankfully, you can enter tournaments at any time, and the game itself is a faithful
(if Americanised) version of the three best games (8-ball, 9-ball and snooker). Choosing
a static overhead camera leads to problems, and it's not always easy to line up your shot
properly, but the interface is very easy to use (set power, spin, aim and shoot) and after a
while you forget the limitations and enjoy what is a very simple, but addictive game. If
Internet play was in I'd have given it a much higher score. As it is I'm going to go back and sit
in my virtual chat room hoping that someone finally notices the virtual pisshead in the corner.

Dave Woods

l>CZVERDICT

59%

In tke iour corners of Jadame, gates to tKe t)lanes of

Fire, Eartk and V\4ter kave opened and denizens
I ^{ tKose realms are sweeping across tke lands
dwastating all in tkeir patk. must lead a band
oajHged adventurers on a perilous mission to save
tke kingdom from ruin.

Key Raturcs
.story spunning tke laiK^s oi EnrotK, EratKia an<l Jadame
and special abilities to l>e acquired
rite game inod^- roll-time or turn-based
id sub-quests for Kours o{ entb railing gameplay

REVIEWS iCTIONtOVENTURESSOPERTEST

Kl SI

The days of the traditional point-and-cliok
adventure are well and truly over. But has
the genre really progressed, or are we
simply witnessing its dumbing-down?

O MAINTAINING ORDER Paul Mallinson

Iack in the halcyon
days of home
computing when 8-bit
machines such as Sir
Clive's rubber-keyed
ZX Spectrum and Commodore's
cutting-edge C64 ruled the roost,
adventure games were the
staple diet of virtually every
gamer Decades ago, when
graphics and style were way

down the list of priorities in a
game designer's mind, we were
more than happy to sit in front of
a text adventure for hours on
end, visualising far-off worlds
within the confines of our own
imaginations, rather than - like
in this day and age - having
the whole experience given to
you on a plate with the aid of
whiz-bang technology.

[ION ADVENTURE SUPEBTEST REVIEWS

O L to R: Paul Presley Is also a ravenous and well-informed action adventure fan. O Martin Korda often embarks upon adventure-y bouts of digital orienteering. O Keith Pullln has
written countless action adventure reviews and walkthroughs over the years. O A review of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation reminded Mari( Hill of his thirst for action adventures.
O Paul Malllnson reviewed Urban Chaos and has been an ardent follower of the action adventure scene for two decades.

m\vM ACTION MNTUitE mm

f The actionisation of the adventure
genre has been slow, but
relatively total over the years. Text
adventures are now pretty much
non-existent, as are those side-
on, two-dimensional classics
LucasArts got itself known for
some years ago. Their place in
society has been filled by a
meaner, tougher, more modern
example of the adventure game -
one that mixes gameplay styles,
but usually involves lots of
shooting, fighting, leaping and
saving/re-loading. So what
about the all important plot and
storyline? Where did that go?

Does this new wave of
'dumbed-down' PC adventure
games signal a slip into a sinister
dark age of gaming, or are we
really witnessing the re-birth
of a genre? The PCZONE\eavf\
once again convene to argue
the case in point.

INDIANA JONES
AND THE
INFERNAL
MACHINE

Mallo: Mark, you reviewed
The Infernal Machine. What
did you give it?
Mark: 88 per cent.
Mallo: Do you stick by that?
Marie Yes I would.
Mallo: Did it crash when you
played it? Indyke\)\ crashing
when I was playing it. It would
just freeze and lock up the entire
machine. Every 1 5 minutes. . .
Marie: I didn't get that.
Martin: I installed it on my
machine here and it crashed

quite a bit. Sometimes it wouldn't
even let me in the game.
Mallo: And I patched it as well. . .
Martin: It's not the biggest
'crasher' in this Supertest. . .
Mallo: But the bits I played looked
very good, although I found the
control system sluggish.
Marie Most people will dismiss
it as a Tomb Raider clone, but it's
much more than a platform game.
You hardly ever miss a ledge, and
you don't have to think about
doing 'double somersaults' or
anything like that. It's more a case
of; you go into a room, discover
the puzzle, then really think about
what you have to do.
Keitli: If you can imagine a 3D
version of the first two Indiana
Jones games - that's what it is.
Prezzen No, no, no, no, no. . .
Keith: I think it's got such...
Prezzen I wholly 6\saqree
with that.

Keith: So few things in Indy
are similar to Tomb Raider It's
a totally different game.
Mallo: I expected it to be
more like Grim Fandango
than Tomb Raider
Prezzen OK, it might be better
than Tomb Raider, but it's
certainly not a 3D version of the
first two {Indiana Jones And The
Fate Of Atlantis and Indiana Jones
And The Last Crusade - Ed}. By
any stretch of the imagination.
They were class games - they
had extremely strong storylines,
strong characters, really gripping
plots. Infernal Machine is, as
you said, a platform game.

Mallo: It was the writing
that made those
games - it's more the
graphics these days.
Marie This game has
got some really good
puzzles, but you still

LucasArts '

LucasArts

have to go through the platform-y
bits to get to them. There are
hardly any conversations, which
is one of the most important parts
of an adventure game.
Keith: There are huge
conversations - massive
conversations. The plot unfolds
and twists in the most incredible
way. You will never see a plot like

that in a Tomb Raider game.
This game has a proper casi of
characters. Do you have a proper
cast of characters in a Tomb
Raider game? No - you have Lara.
In Indiana Jones you have Sophia,
your sidekick. You've got a bad
guy - you've got an entire cast
with a role to play.
Marie I agree - 1 love it. I don't
think it's as good as the point-
and-click adventure - you can't
compare it to that, but every other
game now is an action adventure.

Infernal Machine isn't
all running, climbing
and jumping.

You hardly ever see an adventure
game, as such, being released -
it's always an action platform
game with some puzzles in it.
Prezzen I know what you're
saying. Infernal Machine \s
nowhere near as good as the first
two adventures, but that's the
trouble: we're never gonna see
those kind of games again, so. . .

^The plot unfolds and
twists In the most
Incredible way. You
will never see a plot
like that in a Tomb

KEITH RATES INDY

Mallo: And neither game is
available to buy now.
Martin: The only thing in Indy^aX
does exist outside of Tomb Raider
is the storyline, which is fantastic.
Keith: It's classic Indy It really is.
That's what people want.
iMarUn: Nah. One thing that
annoyed me about it was that
they didn't get Harrison Ford to
do the voice. I know it's a minor
thing, but LucasArts is bloody
loaded and I'm sure they could
have forked-out for him.
Marie Harrison Ford is the most
expensive actor in the world.

Prezzen There isn't a single
example in any of the films of
Harrison Ford pulling blocks
around, jumping about. . .
Mallo: I thought the first two
films were good - classic Indy-
but they lost the plot in The
Last Crusade. Walking across
seemingly invisible ledges,
1 ,000 year-old knights guarding
the Holy Grail...?!
Marie It was still a good
film, though.

Prezzen They were spinning
out the storyline for what was
essentially a cash-in sequel.
Mallo: The second film was the
best - Temple Of Doom. Spielberg
disowned it didn't he? Was too
dark and 'evil' for him, apparently.
Marie The bit with the monkey
brains?

Mallo: No, the bit with the
guy who gets his heart torn
out! I think they even cut it for
this country.

Prezzen You don't get that in an
action adventure these days.
Keith: No, but you do in a first-
person shooter. . .
Martin: I still think Indy ls very
similar to Tomb Raider But at
least in this you get to use a whip.
Mallo: Some of the other
weapons are pretty good too -
you can get a rocket launcher.
Mark: Infernal Machine is

Score
Developer

Publisher

Price

£34.99

Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine, a superb melding of old skool adventuring and modern-day 3D graphics modeiling.

86 PCZONE#92AUG2000

fts far as lead game cna ^
tebv«W«««n9*-'!, S^^as an Angel

computer game.

Messiah: dark, interesting and unusual.

definitely a PC game. It's not
a console game that's been
ported across.

Mallo: Indy 6oes look like it would
work very well on PlayStation. It
does look like a port in places.
Martc I disagree. Later on it's
just amazing -{here are some
sprawling landscapes. They're
not just like backgrounds, you
do actually go to them. There's
one scene when you're on a
beach and there's a half-sunken
boat in the sea across from you,
and you have to use a torpedo
that you find on the beach to
punch a hole in the hull, then
you can swim into it...
Prezzer See, I actually had a
problem with that. Out of sheer
logic. You're walking along the
beach, you see a torpedo - you
don't necessarily think: 'all I've
got to do is arm this and shoot
it at that boat over there!'
Keitti: Just like in any old
adventure game isn't it?
Prezzer No, the old games
at least conformed to some
kind of logic.

Martc But torpedo?! Boat?! What
more logic do you want?
Everyone: (laughslj
Prezzer. LucasArts has lost
the plot. It didn't feel like
Indiana Jones to me.
Mallo: I'm not sure about that -
maybe they're guilty of dumbing
the games down slightly. . .
Prezzer They're dumbing it down
far too much. This doesn't just
apply to this game - the recent
Star Wars games have lost the
quality control they used to have.
Martc They're making a new

85% PCZ #85
Shinv
interplay
'£34.99

Monkey

Island

too. That
should be
interesting.

This Star
Wars
•Bombad'
Racer with
Yoda and
Darth Maul
driving around doing the Mario
/Cart thing. . . I mean, what the
f**k is that about?!
Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: It's the way the world is
going, isn't it?
Mark: Ker-ching!
Mallo: I'm sure Obi-Wan \n\\\ be
as good as we expect.
Prezzer I'm not sure about that.
MarUn: There's too much
prancing about in these games.
I know that's the point, partly,
but there's too much jumping
ledge to ledge and not enough
puzzle-solving.
Mallo: That's one thing that's
good about The Nomad Soul-
there's hardly any jumping. In
fact, the jumping is crap!
Martin: You spend the whole
time re-loading in Indyan6
Tomb Raider because you
missed a jump.
Mallo: There's a lot of that
in Tomb Raider. That game is
all about getting to those hard
to reach places.

Kettli: Look - there's isn't a lot of
that in Indy.

Mark: There is at the start of
the game. It's a very bad start
actually, but it's been put there as
a sort of training level - to force
you to learn how to control Indy.
Keith: And there are superb visual
clues as well, like Indy turning his
head to look at an objective.
Mallo: That's one good thing
about The Nomad Soul- the
people turn and look at you if
you're near them, and track you
as you walk past.
Prezzer Then you push a button
and you've solved the puzzle!
Everyone: {uproai)
Mallo: It is shite that the first level

is the worst of the lot.
Keitti: It is bad, and I was
stuck on it for ages, but
once I got past that I just
flew through the game.
I really enjoyed it.
Mallo: So there's more to
/ncfythanatight pair of
shorts and a big pair of tits?
Martc Less than!
Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: Actually, you're right -
give me breasts and tight shorts
every time.

MESSIAH

Mallo: I thought it was f^^king
excellent! A bit /lf/7/C-like
in places.

Keitti: It bored the tits off me.
Mark: The hardest game I've
played in my life. I preferred MDK.
Prezzer Yeah!
Keitti: It/sblummin' hard.
Prezzer Almost as hard as
Urban Chaos.

Martc Messiah is harder because
there's more roaming around in
Urban Chaos - you tend to stay
alive longer.

Mallo: Urban Chaos is relatively
do-able though. This is just too
much in places.
Martin: Messiah is the game I
had to re-load the most because
it's so bloody difficult. I filled up
my hard disk with saved games!
Mallo: Yeah, it is like that - you
don't want to save over your
last saved game. And this
kept crashing as well.
Martin: Yeah - kept crashing out
to Windows. And that bloody
movie trailer at the beginning!
Was it just me, or could you not
quit out of it? Every bloody Wme
you'd get this trailer, which was
about a minute long.
Mallo: Interplay always does
that. It is annoying, but it stops
after four or five starts. Messiah
is stylish. It's quality. The level
design and the character
modelling are absolutely amazing.
Martin: It's got some fantastic
features. The fact that you
can possess whoever you
want is brilliant.
Mallo: Messiah is very clever.

these p

Messlalfs character modelling
is some of the best ever seen.

you can't just run around
shooting, as you won't last
two minutes. You've got to think
about what you're doing. The
only thing that annoyed me
about it was how easy it is to
get knocked out of a body.
Martc That's it - once you've
started a fire-fight all you can
do is jump from one body to
another, but you don't have time
to shoot anything and you're
knocked out repeatedly.
Prezzer There's no auto aim
is there?

Mallo: There is, but you've got
to be reasonably accurate. But
once you get knocked out of a
host. Bob - the baby - just gets

shot to shit. There's no escape.
It's quite funny, when
you die, seeing the soldiers
wading in, kicking this baby.
Martc Don't you think it's
strange that this angel - this
so-called Messiah - can be
killed as easily as it is?
Mallo: Maybe he's dying for
our sins? Repeatedly.
Everyone: (laugh^
Martc It would have been better
if he'd been invisible, but you
weren't allowed to do anything

if you didn't have a host.

So that when you
were out of a body the
guards couldn't see you...
Mallo: Mmm...
Martin: At the beginning
the story says that it is 'a
time of darkness' and that
people don't understand
who you are. Which
tries to justify the fact that you
get the crap beaten out of
you all the time.
Martin: Well, I have a problem
with the concept - running
around as this baby. . . It's just
too stupid for words...
Mallo: The baby I liked - it's
funny seeing a baby in a combat
zone. The storyline, however, is
hard-going and doesn't inspire.
Prezzer There are some weird
boys working over at Shiny. You
can tell they've got a sense of
humour, which goes a long way.
Messiah is a very creative game.
Mallo: It reminded me of The City
Of Lost Children and Judge Dredd
- the way it looked. And it does
possess a wicked sense of
humour. There's one bit where
you possess a female Commander,
and if you face one of the nearby

^Messiah'is the game
I had to re-load the
most amount of
times because it's
so bloody difficult. I
filled up my hard disk
with saved games!^

MARTIN ON MESSIAH

guards and press 'action' she
snogs him! Then Bob moves
from her body to his, through
their mouths.
Prezzer Really?
Mallo: Yeah - I've got
screenshots of it as well.
Martc You would have!
Prezzer I spent a lot of time
in Afess/a/7 wandering around
just looking at stuff, thinking:
'wow -this is great!'
Malto: The control system is (

AUG2000#92PCZONE 87

Score

Developer

Publisher

the best out of all those here,
too. Especially when reconfigured
to use a mouse and keys,
Owa/ce-style.

Martin: The tactics you can
employ in Messiah are also very
interesting, especially when there
are loads and loads of people
you want to wipe out, but don't
feel confident enough to shoot it
out. Possess one guy and make
sure they see you. Get them to kill
you then leap into the next bloke.
They end up wiping each other
out and you then possess the
last remaining bloke.
Mallo: Yeah - the fun to be had
from possessing someone, then
throwing them off a precipice
and watching them break every
bone in their body!
Eveivone: {laughs)
Mallo: Their cries: "shoot me!"
Everyone: (more laughtei)
Mallo: It's sick.

Prezzen And what about in that
police hang-out area with the
weapons dispenser? Suddenly
you get a flame-thrower! You
look around at these groups
of people and think... yea/?!
Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: Well, that's obviously why
they've given it to you! Don't get
too close though, or you end up
setting fire to yourself. Burning
babies running around...
Marie I got as far as the room
with the bloke firing that
harpoon gun.
Mallo: Ah, that weapon is
amazing. The projectile creates a
tube of smoke around it in the air.

Quantic Dream
Eidos
£34.99

The effect is
beautiful. It's
just fantastic.
And if it hits
you, you fly
through the air like a bastard!
Marie How do you get past that?
Prezzen There's a rocket
launcher at the far end of the
room. The thing is, though,
when you pick up the harpoon
gun a load of other guys start
attacking you. Then it really
starts getting hard.
Martin: The sound bites in
Messiah get annoying after
a while.

Keitti: The story's crap too. The
'voices in your head' that explain
what is happening... Nah.
Marie It's the usual cliched good
versus evil nonsense.
Prezzen It's this evil bloke
called Father Prime that you're
ultimately up against.
Mallo: Well, he's nothing.
You should come across him
earlier in the game.
Keith: Though not literally - that
would be hideous.
Marie Ugh.

THE NOMAD SOUL

Mallo: Charlie Brooker reviewed
this and gave it, what, 85 per
cent? I reckon, in this day and
age with our stringent scoring
system, that's about right.
Prezzen I agree.

Mallo: The reason I wouldn't give
it a Classic rating is because it
is a touch too cliched sci-fi.
The look and feel of it.
Prezzen Mmm. . . yeah. Mmm. . .
I don't know...

Mallo: They're all wearing big
shoulder pads for starters! There
are ED-209S walking about and
Blade Runner-esque towers
belching fire.

Prezzen Which eventually
changes to this futuristic Arabia
in the sand dunes. The only
problem I've got with it is that
the action sequences do get
repetitive after a while.
Mallo: The first-person bits are
hardly Quake, but they're OK.
Prezzen I think that's where
The Nomad SouliaWs.
Mallo: The beat 'em up element
is great, and it works as well.
IMartin: And there are hardly any
decent beat 'em ups available
for the PC.
Mallo: You can also enter
a tournament and fight
progressively harder opponents
for money. It's great.
Martin: There's some advanced
humour in there, too.
IMallo: Did you hear the
tannoy announcement in the
sex shops? "Buy our new

Mallo: It's the
opposite to Shadow Man -
have you played it? Shadow
Man is actually all right - 1 quite
like it - but it's very quick and
leapy-aroundy. As leapy-aroundy
adventures go Shadow Man
is one of the better ones. It's
really dark.

Martin: In Nomad Soul, at the

<»^Thesex in this game
is realistic -the
treatment is
revolutionary.^

MALLO GETS A BIT EXCITED OVER
WE NOMAD SOUL

biological penis implant!"
Everyone: (laugh^
Mallo: I couldn't find it, though. . .
Everyone: {more laugh^
Martin: This game is more like
the old style of adventure game.
If you take out the combat there's
very little jumping around.
Mallo: As I said earlier, the
jumping in Nomad Soul \s
actually pretty crap. You can
jump onto very little.
Martin: Yeah, you jump about
half a foot in the air.

start, you get a bit of an insight
into this big mystery. Then you
have to explore and find out
what's going on. You find out that
you're some kind of future cop
and your partner has been killed
and it is being covered-up. Then
you bump into your girlfriend
and find out more from her. . .
Mallo: And you get to have
sex with her!
Martin: Yeah.

Mallo: Which is amazing! Sex
in a computer game?! I couldn't
believe it.

Prezzen Did you rate the lap-

dancing bars?
Mallo: Nah - not into that.
The sex in this game is realistic -
the treatment is revolutionary.
Prezzen And realistically
proportioned women for once!
Mallo: I'm ashamed to admit
it, but the girls in Nomad Soul
are the sexiest-looking polygon
women I've ever checked-out
in my life...

Everyone: {riotous laughtei)
Martin: You're made to think it's
real life. You get to interrogate
people, but you can't always say
the things that you want to.
Mallo: Yeah, you get your end
away once, then you go out
looking for more - there's a
whole world out there just
waiting to be explored!
Martin: Then while you're in the
police station and have picked up
a few leads you get a call from
your girlfriend inviting you out to
lunch. Then you get called to a
terrorist raid in the supermarket -
a nice little sub-quest. . .
Mallo: Which is quite difficult.
Martin: It is difficult to get hold
of those first-person shooter bits
straight away - 1 got shot to bits.
Prezzen The great thing is:
Nomad Soul \s played in a total 3D
environment, so it's not that much
of a jump from the adventure

88 PCZONE#92AUG2000

IKIIINIIIIVENTUIESIIKIinSI

sections intathe first-person bits.
Keith: This Supertest shows how
different countries approach
development of these games -
you've got UK, US and French
games here. The best ideas tend
to come from Europe - especially
the French. You look at the US and
they'll stick with mainstream,
commercial ideas. . . Messiah is
an eclectic mix of ideas, but it
doesn't necessarily wori(.
Prezzer The Americans rarely
go for any of the transcendental
nonsense that the French seem
to like.

Martin: I thought the 'save rings'
in Nomad Soul mre clever. You've
got to collect these things to save
the game, and you can only save
at certain points.
Mailo: Yeah, but there are plenty
of save rings. They smack of
console simplification to me.
Martin: I got over-exuberant,
saving everywhere I found, but
I'd run out by the time I got to
the supermari^et.
Mallo: Ah - you knob!
Mark: Did anyone find that the
robot guard at the beginning of
this game sounded exactly like
Officer Barnaby in South PariO
Mallo: "Nothing to see here!
Please move along!"
Everyone: (laugh^
Mallo: Yeah - it does! The Nomad
Soulls so filmic. It's one of the
most cinematic games I've ever
played - even down to the
'lenses' used in the camera
sequences...
Prezzer The 'fish eye'
lens effect?

Mallo: Yeah, the dream

sequences - they're in black and
white, cut really strongly and it
works to great effect. Some bits
reminded me of Jacob's Ladder
and The Matrix.
Keitli: It's the only game here
that properiy creates the illusion
that there's a worid going on
around you.

MalkK I'm playing it at the
moment in Windows 2000 v^\\t\
320Mb RAM and a TNT2 card. . .
Marie Oh, here he goes-
Windows200a
Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: With the detail ramped-up
and a fully-populated city it is
brillianf. OK, there is still some
slow-down. It reminded me of
Shadowrun on the Super
Nintendo - one of my favourite
games of all time. Nomad Soul
is a fantastic recreation of a
futuristic city out of control.
Prezzer. It is the busiest free-
form city. Much better than
Urban Chaos.

Mallo: The traffic is great. It's
rush hour every hour - just like
where I live in Brixton.
Prezzer I keep getting run over.
The opening sequence is one of
the best ever, and then it's like:
'my God, I'm in a full city here!'
Keitli: Nomad Soul aWows you to
explore a huge city from the off,
unlike other games here.
Prezzer And then it opens up to
encompass this futuristic Arabia.
That's what impressed me about
it. The first section of the game is
in quite a big city - much bigger
than Urban Chaos, but then you
reach sand dunes, snowy bits, an
underground cavern
populated by
demons...
Mallo: It's brilliant.

sun great hin - « I" st«y«ne, that

ft^ the first level where voo coo

M V^t^^J^- — - ,

I Sc(xe

I Developer

Publisher

Price

Core Design 1
Eidos '
£34.99

One thing that did annoy me
though, was when you walk into
the garage and there are all these
cars and bikes lined-up waiting to
be nicked. . . but you can't bloody
use any of them!
Prezzer You can get a taxi, but
that's it.

: It's a wasted opportunity.
: It's still a fantastic game.
Loads of styles, themes, things to
do... David Bowie.
Mark: And he's good in this.
Prezzer It's a stunning game. The
way 3D action adventures should
be going - instead of 3D platform
games, 3D worids to explore.
Keitli: It's the second best game
here. After Indy.
Everyone: {grumble^

TOMB RAIDER:
THE LAST
REVELATION

Prezzer I'm just bored to death
with Lara Croft now. The graphics
might look slightly better, and
they might have introduced
some tiny story elements, but
it's basically the same game
over and over again.
Mallo: It's easy to slag it off,
but it is an excellent game.
Keitli: No, it's an excellent
mari(eting campaign.
Prezzer Core really know its
audience. Listen to the slider on
the sound effects options it's
like . . . [makes sexual panting
noise growing louder then

Everyone: {laughsij

Keitli: I think they do keep dishing

out the same game and it isn't

easy to slag it off.

Mallo: They don't kee[) dishing

out the same game!

Keitti: Yes they do, and the reason

they can do it is because the
popularity of Lara Croft is always
high. She's in Lucozade adverts,
she's in everything you see at
the moment.
Mallo: Jesus - paranoid!
Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: No, but honestly, they've
got a good engine. It does become
enjoyable and intuitive leaping
around. You know - then diving
into a pool....

Everyone: {laugh^
Mallo: That's what the game
needs actually. Maybe they
should bring a bit of proper sex
into Tomb Raider- like Nomad
SouR But anyway - 1 quite
enjoyed the time I spent playing
it, but I doubt if I'd complete it.
Prezzer Don't you feel like
you're playing the same thing
over and over again?
o: The development of

Everyone: {absolute silenc^
Mallo: Isn't it?
Prezzer It's a sequel too far.
Marie You start the game and
you're 16 years old...
Mallo: You're jokin^l
Mark: You didn't notice the
ponytails?

Malki: I had no idea! Right, I'm
going back to play it again...
Everyone: (laugh^
Prezzer The model playing
Lara Croft is only 16.
Malto: Really? I've met her-
she's not that young.
Marie I think they've changed
her again.

Malk): Gimme Nell McAndrew

any day. Her Dad did her tits

didn't he?

Prezzer What?!

Mallo: Yeah, her Dad's a plastic

surgeon - he didn't trust anyone

else to do the job.

^Core really know Its
audience. Listen to
the slider on the
sound effects
options it's like...
[makes sexual
pantingnoise

then quieter]^

PREZZER HAS TOMB RAIDER SUSSU)

Tomb Raider has been a bit like
Quakers - nothing outrageously
different, but incremental
changes to the gameplay has
refined subsequent instalments.
It's intuitive stuff after a while.
Mark: Tomb Raider has changed
as much as it can within the
genre.

Malk>: No, they could do
something more like Nomad Soul.
Put a bit of sex into it. Make it a
bit more adult. They've milked the
kiddie maritet dry, why not turn
out adult instalments and give us
grown-up's a chance to have
some hjn?
Everyone: (laughslj
Prezzer It ain't ever gonna
happen, and you know it.
Keith: They could do something 9

Has Tomb Raider had its day?

Lara Croft's best side? We can't decide...

Get out of those wet clothes, Lara love.

AUG200Q#92PCZONE 89

liU'iUVI-l ICnON IDVEimillE sipeiitest

FUTURE ADVENTURING

As always, the best is yet to come...

Nomad Soul ians should take note ttiat Omikron
Exodus -a follow-up, set 100 years after the
first game - is on ttie cards as a sequel, but a
release date has yet to be fixed. Quartc^ from the
same developer, and using similar 3D story-
telling routines as Nomad Soul, Is also planned.

That said, since Its unveiling at the E3 show
in LA, American McGee's Alice - a Tim Burton

style 3D reworking of Lewis Carroirs books -
has rocketed to the top of our action adventure
'must have' list.

Others to look out for include: Star Wars:
Obi-Wan (although recent videos show it
looking more like The Phantom Menace ttian
Jedi Knight,,,), The Real NewerEnding Story {HI
ttiey ever finish it) and Simon The Sorcerer 3D.

The strange-looking Quark from Quantic Dream. The even stranger-looking Alice.

B EEN THERE. SEEN IT. DUNE IT

There are fliploads of action adventures on the PC. Here are the aiso-rans...

There have been loads of half-decent action
adventures released for the PC in the past few
years. Just missing out on a place on our
Supertest shortlist Is Psygnosis' Dralcan: Order
Of The Flame, which is worth checking out if
you like the idea of swords, goblins and flying
around on dragons. Acclaim's Shadow Man-
apparently accursed by Voodoo magic - is also

worthy of your attention if you prefer your
adventures fast and platformy.

Jurassic Parte Ihespasser (Mkrosoft), Heretic
//(Acthriskm), Soul Reaver {Wirinos), The Phantom
Menace (LucasArts) and Escape Or Die Tiying
(Psygnosis) all have elements that make them
worthy actkm adventures, but none impressed
us enough to include them in our Supertest

Dragons in Drakan. Fun to fly they are too.

Stop press. Raptor bites off breasts in Ttesspasser,

ACTIUN ADVE N TU RES TO AV OID

At the rubbish end of the spectrum

Quite what Jordan Mechner was thinking
when he devised Price Of Persia JI7 we'll
never know. Devoid of storyline, devoid of
character. Prince Of Persia 3D is not the
exciting Arabian adventure game we were
hoping for, turning out to be nothing more
than a simplistic, repetitive reworking of ttie

'pure' platform action of ttie first games.
A big mistake.

Others that deserve a kicking include
The Guardian Of Dartcness (Cryo) and Asghan
(Grolier). So, unless you're stupid, don't bother
with any of these - there are only so many
hours in the day, etcetera.

completely different. They could
reveal that Lara is actually an
alien from another planet and she
can morph into the shape of any
creature she meets...
Marie WhaP\

Mallo: Or a baby falls out of her
back and then leaps into the
body of a tiger?
Keith: Mmm. Maybe not. The
point I'm making is that they
should make a radical change
to the series.

Mallo: Have Lara murdered
and have her sisters step in to
investigate? Or her //7ree sisters -
it would be the gaming equivalent
of Charlie's Angels.
Everyone: [laugh^
Malki: Actually, that's not a bad
idea. Lara's sisters Tara, Sara and
O'Mara. . . How about it Core? I
thought of it first, by the way.
Everyone: (more laughs^}
Marie 16 years old - all together
in a swimming pool...
Mallo: Steady on old boy!
Keith: And they've all got different
attributes...

Maiki: Yeah, one's got a fat arse,
one's got big lips, one's got long
legs, and one's got great big
flapping hands - should've been
a goalkeeper.

Marie It should be her daughters
- not her sisters.
Mallo: Mark, how young do you
want them?!

Keith: There is a valid point to
this banter: that they should
change Tomb Raider ra^lcaWy.
They should try something

completely different.
Malki: They should make it less
nice. The Tomb Raider series is
so bloody nice.

Keith: But they'll continue to get
away with 3D platform games
because of people like Lara.
It's as simple as that.
Mallo: How about a Lara Croft
turn-based strategy game?
Everyone: (laughslj
Mallo: Or a Lara Croft zombie
game - like Resident Evil? Now
that would be something!
Prezzen Then they'll end up
doing what LucasArts did with
Star Wars-w&W end up with Lara
Kart Racing or something.
Martin: Why are we always
complaining about people

falling for the same stuff over
and over again?

RAallo: Why are we complaining,
full stop?

Prezzen Because it's our Giod-
given right as British citizens.

URBAN CHAOS

Mallo: You start off thinking that
there's sooo much to do in Urban
Chaos, but a third of the way
through you begin to realise how
samey it is. I reviewed it, and with
hindsight it was lucky to get what
it did. The engine is great, the
platformy bits are great, the beat
'em up bits are OK, and the
atmosphere is fantastic, but the
story and dialogue are pathetic.
Everyone: {silencefi
Maito: It's a super cliched cop
conspiracy story with really
cheesy dialogue. Totally
unbelievable. OK, so there's this
gang rising to power from the
madness of this big city, which
is not a bad idea, but the piss
poor dialogue ruins it.
Prezzen It's a pity because the
quality of the FMV is superb.
Malki: I'm not just talking about
the FMV.

Prezzen When you first start
playing it, you're running around
the city thinking: 'yeah, this is
pretty good', but it really becomes
very smaW i^e^y quickly If they
had made it one large city, like
Nomad Soul, then that would
have been much better.
Mallo: Maybe they tried it,
but realised people would

^There are only about
three different types
. of civilians, which
i are multiplied to
f populate the city... ^

MARK SEES THROUGH URBAN
C/MOS* VENEER

just get lost?

Prezzen No, they developed this
for the PlayStation, and were
worthing to the PlayStation's
limits.

Marie There are only about
three different types of civilians,
which are multiplied to populate
the city...

Mallo: There are quite a few
unique characters, but even the
enemies are a bit samey. Grey
bomber jackets and combat
trousers. In fact, you stand there
minding your own business and
one of them slides into you from
behind and kicks you in the head!
Martin: That's a real pain. You
have to do that to them before
they do it to you.

Mallo: That's the way to progress
through this game property: don't

Ponce Of Persia.

90 PCZONE#92AIIG2000

UnON MNTURE SUPERTEST HmTIv!!

•it;

^UKHMde action explorer

thtstime
'"TTJ-ii^ie cop called O'Arcv

ofpuivhown|»*-

Score
Developer
Publisher
1 Prtcc

get yourself involved in a firefight
- run circles around 'em, slide in
and cuff 'em quick.
Prezzer There are some nice
moments, like on tlie second level
with the suicide jumper and you
have to swing down a cable
unnoticed behind him.
Mallo: Even further than that - 1
played well into double figures -
the levels have lots of nice
touches and situations. The
problem was that they took too
long to complete because you
were constantly being rushed by
villains. And that you didn't care
whether any of the characters
lived or died.

Martin: I liked the bit where you
walk in the park at night and
come across this guy taking a

Mucky Foot 1
Eidos '
£34.99 1

piss against a
tree. He turns
out to be an
arms dealer
working out
of the back of
a van nearby. If you arrest him
you get points for doing it.
Prezzer I think there are random
events like that - 1 didn't see the
van when I played it.
Mallo: The leaping around thing
as well. . . Climbing around is
good fun for a while, but having to
make your way up an extremely
complex series of ladders and
ledges to reach Ihe top of a very
large building is soul-destroying
to replay.

Martin: Urban Chaos tries to be

too many things in one game.

Mallo: The beat 'em ups bits

are good when you work out

the special moves.

Martin: They're incredibly basic. I

found it difficult to move around

in combat mode.

Mallo: Target selection does

sometimes go a bit boz, but just

There's no time for a leisurely dip In Urban Chaos.

hit 'next target' and you're sorted.
Keitti: I suffered from massive
slowdown with Urban Chaos.
Marie: Driving bits are good.

: They're OK. The problem
is: you can't hold top speed,
so you have to keep nudging
accelerate. . . but you can
powerslide around corners
and stuff.

(T Urban Chaos had a lot
of potential, but the developers
limited themselves too much by
not exploring the PC side of
things properly.

Mallo: It's not perfect - the feel
of controlling the main character.
It's not quite as good as the
control system in Messiah,
which I think has the best
out of all the games here.
Prezzer Were you using a
gamepad?

Mallo: No, mouse and keys.
Prezzer It is a hell of a lot
better game with a joypad.
Mallo: What, Me55/d//?!
Prezzer No, Urban Chaos.
Mallo: Uh. I played three quarters

Urban Chaos is
action-packed, but
not too easy to beat.

of the game on
keys. I don't play with
gamepads, they make me think
'crap PlayStation port'.
Keitti: The 3D engine's good.
Mallo: It's got the best shadows
of any of the games here.
Keitti: Best leaves.
Prezzer It's the windiest virtual
city I've ever been in.
Marie And the water!
Mallo: The ripples are well
cool. Urban Chaos is good.
Atmosphere-wise it is superb, it

is quite dark.
There are bits where
you've got to go and meet people
in the middle of the park, it's
dark and you know there's
going to be a ruck...
Keitti: It's the most cartoony
game out of all of these.
Mallo: The dialogue definitely
is. They should have gone out
and got the RoboCop licence and
done something with that - it
would have made an excellent
RoboCop game. \mB

AND THE WINNER IS...

OVERALL
WINNER

There are three front-runners... So it's anyone's guess

The general tMMedom surrounding ttie
Tomb Raider segment of our discussion
made it clear ttie PC ZONE team don't
particularly rate Lara Croft's place on
our monitors (despite ttie review
scores...) and ttierefore resigned it to
quite a kicking. Maytie Core shouM
implement a few of our suggestions.

It was also widely accepted ttiat
Urban Chaos wasn't good enough to be
consMered a winner here, but if you're
k)oking for a simple but challenging
action adventure game, both of ttie
above are worth a took in.

tt you take your PC gaming more
seriously though, Indy anti Messiah are

your next best bet 'Hie musto and
presentation is si/pert^" saki Keith of
Indy, picking rt as his personal
favourite. Mark added: "It's one of the
best games I've played in ttie last year"
Pretty much everyone rated Messiah.

Hre Momai/ Sou/ came out as top
banana of ttie action adventure genre -
in our opinkm. "tt is a pity it hasn't been
bought and played by many people,"
says MaHo. Witti Prezzer adding, "it was
an underrated game". Martin judged it
as a dear winner, while Mark toved it,
but couMn't deckle behween it and
Mdy, Only Keith was truly disappointed
at hd/s failure to take top stot

The Nomad Souh one of the best action adventures ever made.

AUG200Q#92PCZONE 91

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Games

Al prices exclude delivery. Specification and prices may be subiect to change writhout r>otice. Ail tradmartts ackrKMvledoed. E&OE.

BUDGETZONE

More gore and gibs for your money this montli, pius a seiection of tlie iatest reieases

O RESIDENT CHEAPSKATE Mark Hill

RESIDENT EVIL 2

BUDinZONE

O £9.99 •Sold Out •Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P 1 GG Memory 24Mb RAM ALSO REQIMRES 3D card WE SAY A P233 and more memory smoothes things out

I Like Final Fantasy, Resident Evil \s the kind
of game that transcends platforms (both
are originally PlayStation titles) to become
I a phenomenon that affects all future
releases and has massive impact on the gaming
community's consciousness.

Essentially a gory action/adventure, you can play as
either Leon, a copper, or Clare, an action girl, fighting
your way through the living cemetery that is Racoon
City. The exploration is extremely linear, but if you play
the game a second time after completing it with one
character you receive the bonus of new plot
developments and new enemies.

The puzzles are quite simple, but they go beyond the
usual feeble attempts found in straight action games and
push towards an adventure game feeling. The gaming
world, however, is quite restricted and the whole thing
suffers from the limitations of its console roots.

It's unavoidable to talk about Resident Evil 2 an6
not mention George A Romero's trilogy of Dead f\\ms,
as the game steals not only the terrifying sounds of the
groaning, decaying undead, but also the camera angles
and set pieces that scare the life out of you with
unexpected shocks .

These 'borrowed' camera angles, however, are often
frustrating and hardly show any of the action, giving only
a fragmented vision of the zombie infested city and your
struggle against them. At the same time it does create a
hellishly tense atmosphere, simulating in many ways the
tense helplessness of a nightmare.

For all its shortcomings though, /?£2 still remains one
of the most tense and frightening experiences you can
have with a gamepad.

It looks like the Incredible Hulk crossed with Freddy Krueger.

PGZVERDICT

82%

"You have the right to remain dead/

REQUIEM: AVENGING ANGEL

O £9.99 •Sold Out •Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor P1 66 Memory 32Mb RAM

WE SAY You'll need a 3D card and at least a P233

Requiem is living proof that not all first-person shoot 'em
ups, from the good to the downright mediocre, end up
being hits. Since you probably missed this one on its
full-price release, now is the perfect time to check out
its bizarre blend of heavenly magic, futuristic urban
chaos and good old-fashioned splatterfest.

As Malachi, an angel sent to the 21 st century to rid Earth
of some nasty fallen angels, you have a divine licence to kill.
Unlike Bob, Messiatfs cute cherub with a similar mission,
you're armed with both terrestrial weapons (guns, rocket
launchers) and divine spells. The latter definitely adds a
different level to the gameplay, with spells that slow down
time, turn people into pillars of salt, create a shield around
you and even tum enemies to your side. Not that those
enemies are particularly intelligent, displaying none of the Al
that really turns an average shooter into a great shooter.

Most people will be put off by the first level, which is set
in the realms of chaos. It looks suitably hellish, in a Clive
Barker, fleshy kind of way, but plays like an absolute dog.
Another problem is that later levels are just too similar to
Quake II. From the brown pastiness, to the weapons and
the soldier models, Requiem iee\s like an inferior clone. If
you're an FPS fan looking for a cheap fix, however, this is
one of the best bets on the market

VERDICT

72%

AUG2000ff92PCZONE 93

THE BIGGEST NAMES,
THE BEST GAMES VOL 3

O £29.99 • Electronic Arts • Out now

TECH SPECS

SYSTEM Processor A P233 Memory 64Mb RAM WC SAY A 3D card to help make ttiem all

run smoothly

The third volume of EA's all-embracing series of compilations is probably the best yet, and
continues the usual mix of eclectic titles. While none of them are state of the art anymore
(what do you expect) there are no stinkers either. In the strategy corner there's the
commendable Populous: The Beginning andi Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, both updates of
classic titles. For speed freaks there's the ever-popular Need For Speed: Road Challenge
and the two wheeling Superbike 99. And, since the collection wouldn't be complete without
some footy games, there's FIFA '99 and FA Premier League Manager 2000. With the titles
working out at a fiver each, this is a highly recommended box for anyone who doesn't
already own any of the games.

PCZVERDICT

74%

1^-

: ^ ^.^^.^A

Pod Gold: you get a greater sense of speed pushing a shopping trolley around.

POD GOLD

O £9.99 • Focus Essential • Out now

TECH SPECS

I SYSTEM Processor Pi 66 Memory 1 6Mb RAM WE SAY Looks much better with a 3D card, but we
couldn't get any of the later models to work with it

PodViias originally released more than three years ago, and although it was repackaged
a year later with the Gold appendage tagged on to it, its age really shows. Essentially a
high-speed futuristic racing game, Podnem recreates any actual feelings of exhilaration
or danger. Instead, the vehicles give the impression of being brown floating mattresses
bouncing around a boxy sci-fi city. It's an undemanding arcade game that you'll enjoy if
you don't already own anything similar, but considering that you can get the superior
Screamer Rally ior a fiver it really isn't worth bothering with.

Avoid the cops in NFS: Road Challenge. ■ Bum some huts in Populous.

VERDICT

56%

V2000

OC9.99 • Focus Essential • Out now

TECH SPECS

MINMUM SYSTEM Processor P1 20 Memory 1 6Mb RAM WE SAY

A P200 with a 3D card and 32Mb RAM

A lot of people were put off the original Virus by the control
system and, although programming legend David Braben
has made many improvements to it, it remains a bitch to
get to grips with. Like in a 3D version of Asteroids, you
rotate your craft and use thrust for impulse, and it's the kind
of system you either learn to love or despise forever. As for
the game itself it continues the space invader theme of
days of yore, with the addition of rescuing the innocent
humans running around, who you can then put to work in
factories building weapons for you (swapping salvation for
enslavement). There are secondary missions and secrets to
be found beside the straight-forward alien blasting action,
and the 30 levels ensure you won't be finishing this one in a
hurry. An interesting game, but try before you buy.

Run, jump. Jump, run. The possibilities are endless.

PANDEMONIUM 2

O £9.99 • Focus Essential • Out now

INTERNATIONAL RALLY
CHAMPIONSHIP

0£9.99 • Crucial Entertainment • Out now

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor Pi 00 Memory 16Mb RAM
WE SAY Surely your system is better than a PI 00

Some games can happily watch the years go by without
showing any real damage, their gameplay remains as
good as it ever was, meaning that the now lacklustre
visuals take on a secondary importance. This isn't the
case with racing games. Graphics, sounds and the virtual
physical feel are all essential elements in the driving
experience. When they age, there's absolutely no reason
to go back to them, and such is the case with IRC. There's
no 3D acceleration, the engine sounds are pitiful and the
cars move like cardboard boxes. You can get the infinitely
superior Colin McRae Rallyior a few quid more or IRC's
only marginally inferior predecessor Network Q Rally ior
a fiver, not to mention Screamer Rally

PCZVERDICT

63%

TECH SPECS

MINIMUM SYSTEM Processor p i 66 Memory 1 6lulb RAI^ ALSO
REQUIRES A card WE SAY You're stulleil if your card isn't Sdtx

IH: VERDICT

47%

The harlequin smiling his evil rictus from Pandemonium 2s
cover should be read as a warning that someone is about
to take the piss. It might look like an exciting 3D platform
game with all the trimmings, but it is in fact a linear and
boring platform game, which only allows you to move in
one direction. The warped colours and landscapes are
straight out of a '60s LSD trip, but the gameplay has little
to offer to any seasoned leaper.

Beware of the fishy control system.

VERDICT 52%

A box on wheels.

94 PCZ0NE#92AII62m

buy online at

www.hmv.co.uk

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buy now fnim over 100 stores nationwide or m 0870 5 33 45 78

Best reader review wins a
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FreeloadHr is a division of Pure Entertainment Games pic

FEEDBACK

Sometimes buying a game before the review is out can be an
overwhelming temptation. Mark Hill shows you the error of your ways

IT'S YOUR SHOUT!

Feedback is here to offer you,
the player, a platform to voice
your opinions on any of the
games reviewed in PC ZONE
over the last three months.
Whether you want to sing a
game's praises or simply give
it a vert>al beating, we want
to hear from you. Remember to
keep your comments between
50 and 150 words and include
your name, address and ag&

WRfTE TO Feedback, PC ZONE,
Dennis Publishing, 19 Bolsover
Sfreet, London W1P7HJ

E-MAIL Aiternatively, e-mail them to us at
letters.pczone@dennis.oo.uk with
'Feedback' m the suhiect line.

WE WANT YOUR REVIEWS

WIN A SUPER SCOOTER!

That's right. We have five trendy new scooters to give away
(each worth £1 ,500), and we're giving you the chance to
get a review published in PC ZONE.
Just send your usuai Feedback comments, along with
a 300 word review of the game you're commenting on
(cleariy mariced 'review'), to the following email address:
editor@pczone.co.uk. We'll pick the best review, publish It
and send a scooter to the winner. All the usual competition
rules apply, and you must be over 18 to qualify for entry.
Any winning review must be of sufficient quality to
be printed or the prize carries over to the next month
if there is no winner.

Gunshlp! comes crasliing down under a wave of criticism.

GUNSHIP!

REVIEWED Issue 90, June
SCORE 49%
Wtiat we thought

way the game's

EXCELLEME

myriad of
I problems
should have got past the
play-testing team and the
whole thing smacks of a rush
Job by the publisher."
What you said

0 ''Gunship! is a disgraceful
product with such a collection
of faults it would take a librarian
on steroids to keep track of them.
The throttle is the worst I've ever
encountered in any game, twth

in terms of responsiveness and
gradation of power. The autopilot
doesn't work either, and there is
no option to land and then turn
off the engines.

Trying to perform a simple
act such as selecting the next
waypoint requires pressing a
wildly complex selection of keys.

1 only found this out on the Web,
as the manual doesn't list the key
commands accurately. I've only

had this game a couple of days
and played it for an hour or two,
so god knows what else is wrong
with it. I only wish to hell I hadn't
bothered buying it."

Steve Gowen
O "I can only agree with the
sentiments expressed in your
review - 1 wish I had read It
before buying the game. In
addition to the points mentioned,
the fact you can't fly and fight
from the same cockpit is
ludicrous. You can't see what
you are targeting or the choice
of targets, and the game only
distinguishes friend and foe in
the easy level. You are dumped
in the middle of the battle and
can't pick out the anti-air targets
to eliminate them first, so by
the time you get to grips with
the thing you are shot down.
Patch my foot, the only thing
Hasbro should be offering is a
money-back return service for
this rubbish."

Vernon Moorhouse
O "I just wanted to congratulate
Paul Presley on his review of
Gunship! It is the most accurate

96 PCZONE#92AUG2000

FEEDUCK

The sick but strangely addictive gore-fest that is Soldier Of Fortune,

review I ttiinl< I've ever read. I am
now wondering why your two
major rivals both failed to outline
the many shortcomings that are
evident within a couple of hours
of buying the game. Unfortunately,
I found out about them the
expensive way. Keep it up."

Gary Fisher

Comment

We pride ourselves on
writing the only reviews you
can really trust and this is
just ttie latest examptei
Other magazines have Just
assumed that all these
problems would be fixed in
time for the game's release,
without bothering to chedc
with the publishers. And
there's no excuse for ignoring
the dozens of American
websites (ttie game was
released eariier In the States)
where forums were full of
complaints about the bugs.
It only goes to show why you
should always read our
reviews before spending your

What you said

0 "I often play FPS games,

1 even consider myself to be a bit
good, too. But I have to point out
that even on tough play modes
Soldier Of Fortune was, all in all,
a bit too easy.

Yes, it is strangely addictive.
And yes, it is sick and wrong. It
is one of the few games I have
actually returned to the shops
to claim my ten day exchange
guarantee. I wasn't about to wuss
out and play on no-gore mode.
Hell, I'm 25! But after giggling
witfi glee as I zoomed into the
head of an enemy and
smiled with a hint of smug
satisfaction as a puff a
of red mist rose from m
the hole I had shot i
through his cranium, i
splattering pieces of i
grey matter to the I
wall, something had
to be done. After a
night of no sleep
(every time I closed my
eyes all I could see was

O "Soldier Of Fortune is one of
those games that doesn't come
around too often, usually because
they get banned. It's not a Half-
Life or a Quake and doesn't try to
be. Instead, it takes the same sort
of strand that Kingpin \M and
failed in, but this time it's been
done right. OK, so the storyline is
familiar, but the game plays well.
Finally, an enjoyable game that
combines gore and gameplay."

Mictiael Lomas

O "Want Half-Life but don't like
little green men? Want Unreal
Tournament \Nea[)onry but
without the silly skins? Want the
best FPS of recent months? Then
Soldier Of Fortune is your bag!
Ignore the gore and guts (turn 'em
off, you wuss). Ignore the really
cheesy cut-scenes and abysmal
ending. Enjoy the sneaking and
the hiding, the sniping and the
ducking. Play it and you'll be
totally smitten by the 'one more
go' bug. Give it a try and forget
about life outside of a sniper
scope for a few weeks."

Ian Goodwin

Comment

Retuming ttie game because
it's too skkl That's got to be a
first for one of our readers. All
in all, the general consensus
is that most of you find the
extremely explicit violence
fascinating, while being aware
thatitiswitmg.Abit liice
watching Cannibal Holocaust

NEED FOR SPEED
PORSCHE 2000

REVIEWED Issue 90, May
SCORE 80%
What we thought

"A belter ofa
game, with a
couple of nice
touches to malce
it stand out from ttie crowd."
What you said
O "All I can say is that this is an
incredible game. I have a Force
Feedback Wheel, and if there
was ever a reason to go out

mam

EXCELLENa

and buy one, NFSP2000 is it. Out
of all my racing games, the
feedback and feel of the cars are
second to none and the realism is
amazing. The car fights when
turning in the opposite direction
to the one you've just come from,
and leans at varying degrees as
you round a corner at speed. The
Evolution mode does take a time
to get going, but the Factory
Driver mode is second to none. I
won't even mention how long it
took me to pull off a 360° tum in a
box three car-lengths long and as
many wide."

Ben Sweet

0 "This game is undoubtedly
one of the best driving sims of
all time. The graphics are near
photo realistic, the cars handle
like they should, and the Test
Driver and Evolution modes are
completely addictive and give it
great longevity. Previous editions
such as NFSSmre generic and
all the cars handled like big
barges. This gets away from that,
and both looks and plays superbly.

1 know it's still Need For Speed,
but surely it's closer to being a
Classic than 80 per cent?

RobPridtiam

Comment

We agree that Porsche 2000 is
one of the best racing games
out there, but to qualify for the
ultimate accolade, a game has
to talce the wtiole genre to ttie
next level, and we're not quite
convinced this does. The
message is clear, though: if you
lilce car games, it's a must ^

^Every time I closed my eyes all I could
see was an Image of zooming in for a head
shot. I decided the game had to go^

PETER McCONNOCHIE ON HIS POST SOLDIER OF FORWMEmmik

pennies, no matter how good
the graphics look on the box.

SOLDIER OF
FORTUNE

REVIEWED Issue 89, May
SCORE 80%
What we thought
Soldier Of Fortune is an uttra-
gruesome, real-woild talce on
ttie Quake genre ttiat's nowliere
near as good as Half-Life, and is
demonstrably side and wrong,
yet exerts an unusual addicthre
pull all of its own."

an image of zooming in for a
head shot) I decided the game
had to go. It was promptly
exchanged for Midtown Madness
and I am now a much calmer
individual. All in all, it is a great
game, highly tense, very addictive
and a whole lot of fun, but only
for those who have no problems
in following a gang around
real-world locations, such as
Bosnia and New York, trying to
inflict some of the most realistic
and horrific injuries."

Peter McConnoctiie

Porsche 2000 is unbeatable with a Force Feedback Wheel, says Mr Sweet.

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 97

WELCOME TO
THE FUTURE

O YOUR HOST Richie Shoemaker

BWith free Internet access a
reality at last, Internet gaming
is about to take us into a new age
of PC entertainment. Already you
can download dozens of free
muliiplayer games, play your
favourite single-player game
against real people or extend the life of the games
you already own, all by dialling in to the Web and
downloading levels, skins and modifications. PC
ZONE Online aims to point you in the right direction
by giving you all the news, previews and reviews you
need, something we've been unable to do until now.
As the months roll by you can expect this section to
get even bigger as more and more games, total
conversions (TCs) and mods appear, and you can be
sure that even though we won't review them all, we'll
cover all the ones that matter and we'll squeeze as
much as we can onto the cover disk.

As many online games are released in beta format,
we've decided that rather than wait (sometimes
forever), we'll review them as they are and when a
new version comes out we'll review it again.

Additionally, we'll go back to games previously
reviewed and take a look at the multiplayer aspect
of games such as Delta Force 2 and Tiherian Sun. If a
major patch is released, we'll take a look at them
also, as well as Internet tools for downloading files
and chatting to your online colleagues.

Anyway, take a look and see what you think. I'm
of the opinion that there's just as much happening
in the online gaming world as there is offline, so the
time to start playing is now.

EVERQUEST:
THE RUINS OF KUNARK

ULTIMA ONLINE: RENAISSANCE

COUNTER-STRIKE V6.1

INFILTRATION V2.75

ALIENS VS PREDATOR -
GOLD EDITION

ACES HIGH Vl.02.3 AND Q3
JAILDREAKV2.2

ICQ SOFTWARE ROUND-UP

When it comes to mods and total conversions (TCs)
for games such as Half-Life, they are often released
in beta form (ie unfinished) and are generally being
updated constantly. When we review them we will
always try to talce into consideration that they are
often wor1(ed on by teams working just for the love
of it and released free for our enjoyment. Even so,
there is a lot of pap out there and downloading such
things can often be a waste of good surfing time.

Similarly with retail online games such as EvetDuest,
code is always being updated and although we cant
provide regular updates we will try to review major
ones as and when ttiey occur.

WARHAIVIIVIER
ONLINE

Games Woilcshop to offer pay-to-paint

Games Workshop, the company behind
Wartiammeran^ its countless tabletop
spin-offs has announced a deal with
Climax Studios to create Warhammer
Online, a multiplayer-only version of
Games Workshop's fantasy battle game.

Set to be a 3D strategy game,
Warhammer Online^s Halcyon engine has
already been in development for 18 months
and is said to offer an infinite level of detail,
although having not seen anything of the
game - nor are we likely to until next year
- we can only assume this will mean the
game will support a wide variety of 3D
viewpoints, from way above the battlefield
to third-person views.

Unlike many strategy games that are
played online, WartiammermW feature
a persistent world, with players aligning
themselves with various warlords and
races to take control of an ever-evolving
world, not unlike Tolkien's Middle Earth.
Players will be able to customise armies,
from how they look to how they're arranged,
and play against anyone in the world.

A pricing structure has yet to be
confirmed, although we have it on good
authority that the game will be distributed
free, both from the company's website at
www.games-workshop.com and the 230
stores it currently owns. We don't know as
yet if there will be monthly subscriptions
to pay, but it seems Games Workshop is
keen to introduce an innovative method
of payment whereby credit vouchers
bought at Games Workshop stores can be
used to buy new units for armies or extra
weapons. The idea being that younger
Warhammerisins don't have to rely on
pinching dad's MasterCard.

If it all kicks off, Games Workshop hopes
to announce additions to the Warhammer
Online range, including Warmaster,
Warhammer 40K, Space Hulk, Epic 40K
and Necromunda. Watch this space.

Before then, however, we should see
the arrival of a multi-user dungeon (MUD)
based in the Warhammer Faniasy Battle
universe, which is set for release by the
end of the year.

NEWS

ULTIMA WORLDS

ONUNE: ORIGIN

The game formerly known as Ultima Online 2 maile its debut at E3. Chris Anderson qoes in searcii of goblins

Yes, you read that correctly. Origin has
dropped the Ultima title from its best-seUing
online RPG and renamed it Origin for the
sequel. This seems like a bizarre decision
initially, why would they want to lose the branding
on the game that has made them more money than
any other Origin title to date? Well in fairness,
having seen a work-in-progress version of the
game, they couldn't really get away with calling it
Ultima without upsetting veterans since Origin (the
game not the company, I can tell this is going to get
difficult) bears little resemblance to its predecessor.
Britannia is still there and very nice it looks too, but
just about everything else has changed beyond all
recognition. There are three main lands in Origin,
one of which will serve as a sort of training ground
for new payers where they can hone their skills
and learn how to play the game before moving on
to the other areas, which are far more dangerous
but will be home to the best weapons and items in
the game. Each of these lands has a distinctly

different theme (ancient, medieval and steam-punk)
so travelling from one land to the next will almost be
like skipping from one type of RPG to another.

While this will obviously make the game more
varied and diverse, it's questionable as to how
Ultima die-hards will react to a game that at one
stage houses the familiar fantasy environment
they are used to and at another flings them into
a futuristic steam-punk world. This could prove
disorienting to pointy-hat enthusiasts and may
well drive many of them back to the original Ultima
Online game just to get back on familiar territory.
Conversely, many UO defects who have since moved
on to EverQuest may be tempted back by this unique
approach as the gameworld will be more diverse
and far more interesting as a result.

Origin also includes many 'safe zones' in the
game, presumably in another attempt to bring
back EverQuest defects. It's a well-known fact that
player-killing was the main reason many people left
UO in the first place. New safe zones for those who

do not wish to engage in combat with other
players (ie wimps) are included in the game in
what is presumably an attempt to emulate the
safety aspect of EverQuest, but UO fans will be
pleased to note there will still be many zones in
which to experience the adrenaline rush of taking
on 'live' players in melee or magical combat and
completely ripping them off for everything they
own if they emerge victorious.

Origin, unlike its predecessor, sports a fully
3D environment, and while this is admittedly
impressive, we have our doubts as to whether
the inclusion of only three races and 100 spells
will be enough to drag people away from EverQuest
which has far more of both. It is to be hoped that
Origin will be saved by the kind of attention to
detail that was so evident in 170 and is so sadly
lacking in EverQuest. As ever, we will give you
more details on this intriguing RPG as we get
them. To add to all the confusion though, the
www.ou2.com website is still active.

AUG 2000 #92 PC ZONE 99

I™! NEWS

THE MOD SQUAD

INVASION 1955 FOR HALF-LIFE

Invasion 1955 is a curious one.
Using Half-Life as a basis it is a
team-based affair offering two very
different sides, set in, of all places,
London. Invasion Of The Body
Snatchers meets Team Fortress
if you like, with priests, journalists
and construction workers fighting
against aliens who have snatched the bodies of the
police and army Ben Cousins, a games analyst at
Acclaim Studios, is the team leader of this original and
promising looking addition to Half -Life's blossoming
stack of modifications.

Acclaimed:
Ben Cousins.

Well at least the rent's cheap.

PCZ What sets
Invasion 1955
apart from other
similar mods
like TFCand
Counter-Strllu/7

A distinct lack
of guns. There's
only a pistol, shotgun and rifle in the game. You could
say Invasion 1955 \s special ability-based, rather than
a gun-based game such as Counter-Strike. Some
classes have no weapons at all - like the athlete. He
can run very fast for short stretches and has a punch
that kills in one hit. The MIS agent can make himself
semi-translucent and has a lethal injection weapon
that is also quite powerful.

The idea is to stop players using their tried and
tested deathmatch skills, and force them to think of
new ways of approaching this kind of game. Also
setting the mod in a historical setting is pretty original.
However, all this originality is nothing unless the game
plays well - and we wont know that until we get
feedback from players.

PCZ Why did you decide to use character classes
like athletes and Journalists and set it in London?
Ben: I live in London and it has loads of really good
environments to set levels in - parks, terraced streets,
churches - we even have a map based around
Buckingham Palace. It was also a reaction to the very
US-centric mods that are springing up all over the
place as well as a chance for me to give a two-fingered
salute to standard sci-fi and fantasy settings. As for the
player classes, I wanted to have ordinary people versus
police and military, so profession-based classes
seemed the natural way to go. Making one of the
classes a journalist has proved rather popular with
people from magazines.

PCZ How dose are you to finishing the game?

Very close - in fact by the time you read this the
first version may well be available. We are waiting for
the new netcode to come out (the latest Half-Life patch)
before we release anything.
PCZ What's been the most difficult aspect of
devetoping Invasion 19557

Finding people, not only with the necessary skills
to help us, but also the desire to follow things through.
Luckily we've got quite a tight team now. We also have
a famous Half-Life and Quake //mapper, Steve Lyne
(aka Scary-One), doing a map for us, which is kind of
an honour. Fitting all of this around my job at Acclaim
is also pretty hard work, and often means I spend up to
15 hours a day in front of a monitor. Hopefully it will all
be worth it. You can find out more about Invasion 1955
by visiting wrww.planethalflife.com/invasion1955

Mining asteroids is only one way of making

One of Jumpgate's jumpgates.

JUMPGATE

The game Richie Slioemalcer has been waiting for all liis life

Two words: f//teand online. Switch them around and
what you get is something along the lines of what
Jumpgate is all about. You download the game, log in,
pick one of three factions to align yourself with, each
subtly different in terms of their designs and skills, get a
bog standard ship and some credits and set about making
your fortune, either by trading, mining, piracy or bounty
hunting. It's been done before, but not with vaguely real
people piloting each ship and that alone is what makes
Jumpgate such an enticing prospect.

Much more than a space trading game in the Elite
mould, Jumpgate\dkes things a significant step further,
allowing players to group together into squads or cartels,
building towards a common goal. With pooled resources,
groups can have a significant effect on the economics of
the game thanks in part to the dynamics of the trading
system: each product, for example, is built from other
materials, all of which can be traded across the galaxy.
With the right skills and equipment players will be able to

make their own products and with new systems added to
the game as the user base expands, new markets will open
up and groups of players can eventually build stations and
buy capital ships to make these regions their own.

The first full release of the game, scheduled for the end
of the summer, will feature just small to mid-sized ships,
with new star systems, spacecraft and equipment being
added on a regular basis. The idea is to create a persistent
universe for space pilots to fly around in and hopefully
shape, with the programmers stepping in only when things
get hopelessly out of hand. For the future, developer
Netdevil is planning to add a first-person mode (a la
Battlecruiser Millennium), which will allow players a rest
from sitting in their ships, to actually get out and board
ships or fight through the corridors of space stations. That
feature, however, is a long way off. For now we'll be quite
happy in the cockpit. In the meantime keep an eye on
http://jumpgate.netdevil.com and www.planetjumpgate
.com where you'll find enough to be getting on with.

Ships are simple and sleek.

.-J

Equip your ship to suit your needs. ■ Dogfight online in the sim mod.

Photo reality in games is another step closer with news that two separate
companies have developed software that allows users to email photos of
themselves and have them converted into 3D models.

CyberExtruder (www.cyberextnjder.com), which sounds more like a sex aid,
is a new website that allows you to email a passport photo of yourself and have
your face converted into 3D and emailed back to you. More than just a novelty,
the technology has been developed primarily with gaming in mind. The UK
co-developers of StarLancer, Warthog, will be using the software for their next
game and other developers are taking a keen interest. Hopefully we will see
some major announcements over the coming months.

Digimask (www.digimask.com) requires two images, one from the front and
another in profile, allowing for more accurate modelling, and the company is
also planning to incorporate its technology into games.

Apart from the obvious benefits for single-player games, it is the possibilities
the modelling technology has for online gaming that interests us. Imagine
playing EverQuest where each player has their own real face. Scary isn't it?
Eventually we're told both applications will be able to reproduce facial gestures
using simple routines. A smile for instance will require just one set of routines,
applied globally to each facial model - all from just one or two images.
Potentially huge, we've yet to see the technology applied to any games, but
we may not have long to wait.

Send a passport-size
photo to CyberExtruder..

100 PCZONE#92AinS200l

ANARCHY ONUNE

Never mind the balrogs, here's Jed Norton with a role-playing game that's out of this world

You can take your elves and
goblins and shove them where
the sun don't shine. Anarchy
Online, from Scandinavian outfit
FunCom, is sci-fi role playing ail
the way. Set far into the future on
a planet ravaged by civil war, AO
substitutes swords with guns,
magic with nano-technology and
fantasy-style resurrection with a
Scottish Widows insurance policy
(insure your genetic fingerprint
and your items and you will
resurrect at that level whenever
you die). As with all insurance
such schemes cost credits and as
you acquire new items and skills,
taking out bigger and better
policies will become more
important. Take out an expensive
policy, for instance, and you'll
ensure that the moment you pop

back out of the gene-tank, all your
kit will be waiting for you.

Unlike current online RPGs,
/lO won't require you to ponder
dozens of player classes or
skills before venturing into the
unknown. All new players need
do is pick a race and decide on a
gender, from there you can decide
on what you want to specialise in
along the way, be it a nanomage, a
doctor, a trader, or dozens of other
professions. Players will also have
the ability to teach skills to other
players, not by them grinning
stupidly over their shoulder a la
UO. Instead, the teacher creates
an electronic module which will
allow their student to increase
various skills. After each level,
you purchase another module
to allow yourself to learn more.

Questing in AO aims to be far
more dynamic than in EverQuest
or Ultima Online. Say some guy
stole your girl at the bar, you could
grab his Genetic ID and put out a
bounty on him, add a time limit,
allow the hit to be passed on to
other gamers or even offer items
or experience as the final reward.
There will also be 'hole in the
wall' missions, found from ATM-
style machines, which dispense
quests based on your character's
profession and other attributes.
Once a quest is given, no other
player will receive it. You will be
given a pass key and the location
of where the job takes place and,
once you reach the location you
enter your pass key and an area
is dynamically created for you.
In terms of storyline, FunCom has

"You could take someone's eye out with that."

-I*

f«

Pick a race and off you go.

Bingo Drink refreshes the parts others can't reach.

gone to town and promises to
constantly add in new elements
and keep the world evolving,
which together with player-
generated quests means players
will be able to affect the world's
development far more than in
any current online RPG.

Within that world four types
of areas will be available to
explore: cities that are policed,
much like Ultima Online, monster
zones, where you can kill hideous
beasties to 'level up'; political
zones, where clans can fight
mass wars; and free for all (FFA)
zones, where indiscriminate
player-killers (PKers) will be
waiting in the bushes.

Winning the IGN award for
the best online game at E3, AO is
nearing beta version and should
be out as soon as the leaves have
fallen from the trees. You can find
out more by pointing your browser
to www.anarchy-online.com

WIREPUYNEWS

O The beta 2 version of the
popular Quake III Jailbreak mod
is now available for download at
www.wireplaycom from where
you can break out of jail free
against your online buddies.
O You've got the Daikatana demo
from last month's CD and now you
can play it on Wireplay. And playing
against real people should make
a change from fighting against the
abysmal computer Al, hopefully.
O Fancy yourself at Half-Lite:
Counter-Strik^ Well the Wireplay
Counter-Strike League is filling up
fast. Get your name on the waiting
list and your team could be up for
some huge prizes.
O The alpha of Ttie Russian Front,
a WWII team-based Half-Life mod,
is now up and running on Wireplay.

Wireplay
gameplaycom

gameplaycom

we're never beaten

Online News is sponsored
bygameplay.com

LEAGUE TABLE

We fired up our copy of PingTool (www.pjngtool.com) and took
both player and server statistics from ttie top online FPS
titles: Half-Life, Quake III, Starsiege Jtibes and Unreal
Tournament While we'd often seen the huge number of
Counter-Strike serMBTS dominating the list of Half-Life qames,
we didn't realise just how big a following the mod has.

Just look at the table below to see for yourself: Counter-
Strike players out number all the other games put together.

1 Half-Life: Counter-Strike (1 0,1 99)

2 Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic (2,934)

3 Quake III Arena (1.438)

4 Starsiege Tribes (1,429)

5 Unreal Tournament (1.1 87)

6 Half-Life (1,018)

Source: PingTool data

don't pay for games.

download the best computer games for free at

,com

Hidden & Dangerous • Jimmy Whites 2 Cueball • GranU Inert AuLu • Hal Attack • Mayic fc; Ividyi.eni • Spec Ops • Viva l-ooLDali

NEWS

Blade Runner meets Kingpin online Jed Norton loins the gang

Reakktor's most recent game was
Bermuda Syndrome In 1996.

There will be a number of weapons you
can buy to use on the general public.

Reakktor Media is not your normal games designer and Neocron is not your
normal online RPG. Where Neocron differs from the rest is with its attempt
to create a virtual community: the designers want you to act out
a virtual existence rather than plough through levels and collect items.
Set in the distam future where most of Earth's population has run off to warmer
climes (and subsequently fallen foul of aliens), the remnants of humanity survive
inside huge shielded cities with the rest of Earth having become a mass of
poisoned gases and industrial slag-piles known as the Outzones.

The usual player types are replaced with Spy Private Eye, Tank and Psi Monk
and climbing levels is not simply a question of acquiring points. Instead, certam
sub-skills must also be raised before you can improve. You can also buy implants
to boost your skills, but the purchase of these is not straightforward or entirely
legal. Within the city itself Cop-bots keep the peace from invasions from the
Outzones and nefarious player activities. Player-killing is possible and local
'job-centres' will hand out both quests and bounties. It's worth rcmembenng
that killing in front of the cops is not a good idea, especially in the two 'safe
areas'. Death results in a slight loss of experience and total loss of equipment
with regeneration occurring at clone generators.

You start the game in a private un-hackable room, to which you can return at
will using a PIN code, and you also have the option of storing items in the future's
version of a bank. What you do with your time is entirely up to you: hunt, steal,
kill trade or hack... whatever takes your fancy The only thing to watch out for is
that your 'SoulLight' (notoriety) doesn't fall too low. If it does, the Cop-bots will
hunt you down on sight, although it's possible to sneak through them.

Neocron is hard to categorise but calling it a first-person role-playing game is
not too far from the truth. There are no official system requirements as yet, but
a 3D card is essential and Reakktor claims it will be fine on a 28.8K modem.

One thing that's certain is it looks fabulous and while Reakktor will be levying
a monthly fee to play the game will be available to download free of charge. Go
to www.reakktor.com/neocron for the spiel where the developers are taking
orders for beta testing, due to commence at the end of the year.

The Neocron City Police Department don't take too kindly to fare dodgers.

^4-

Hopefully the public transport will be more reliable In the future than It Is today.

LAST CALL FOR
CALL WAITING

O Shame
it doesn't tell
you who's calling,
not that it ever matters.

We all know how annoying it is when you're playing or
surfing online and a call comes in that sends you crashing
back into the real world. The only way around the problem
has been to either install a second phone line (costly and
typically never used) or to set up an ISDN or ADSL
connection, which are both even more expensive. Another
option would be to buy ComTech's new orange gizmo, the
Internet Alert 510. a device that sits between your phone

socket and your modem and beeps and flashes whenever
someone calls and you are downloading porn or othenwise
engaged online. You can either pick up the phone, at whict
point you are disconnected, or, preferably, ignore it and
continue. If you fancy a new gadget, you can find out more
at www.ctl-bolton.com. The Internet Alert 51 0 is available
now for £29.99, cheaper than a new phone line. Hopefully
we'll get one in for review next issue.

102 PCIONE#92AU62000

V I

Unlike most up-and-coming online RPGs, Camelotls a
team-based affair.

Anorexia was even more of a problem In the darit ages.

SEARCH ENGINE

The Famous Four have a whizzo time on their latest
adventure in Camelot.

Sir Eptitius. Fantastic, well done.

DARK AGE OF CAMELOT

We eat ham and jam and spam a lot, so says Jed Norton

King Arthur's dead and the old kingdoms are falling apart.
The Celts and Norsemen are looting and pillaging whatever
they can get their hands on and you must choose which of
the three realms (Celts, Norse or Britons) you will fight for.

To encourage gamers to adventure, Dark Age Of
Camelot uses Realm Points, which come from questing
or capturing and defending Relics. Relics give bonuses to
all gamers within that Realm as long as the Relic remains
safe and at the appropriate location, usually some sort of
shrine. Capturing all the Relics in the game will offer a
substantial overall bonus in both fighting and magery,
but with two thirds of the players after your side's Relics,
this is unlikely to last too long.

Because of all this Relic capturing, Camelot \s a player
versus player-intensive online role-playing game with a
heavy emphasis on group warfare. While it has areas safe
from PKers, the highest levels are not achievable without
fighting for your king and country and killing players from
the opposing Realms.

Items will decay, repairs in the field don't last as long
as those done in a smithy and old weapons can be remade
into new. Trade skills will reward their artisans and are an
integral part of the game, as player-made items will
generally be far better than those from NPCs or monsters.
One thing's for sure, it will be both bloody and fast-paced
along the borders. For those of a quieter disposition, safe
areas will allow monster hunting and some questing, but
these will not result in Realm Points.

Dark Age Of Came/of reminds us of the anarchic days
of Ultima Online, but with pre-built controls and a lot of the
old lessons learnt. To quote one of the designers: "I promise
to make only new mistakes." So the developers (Mythic
Entertainment) are making all the right noises and the
engine also looks good. If the development team delivers
the goods we'll put our money on this game being a winner.

Dark Age Of Camelot is scheduled for a spring 2001
release and you can follow its development by visiting
www.mythicgames.com.

SOLDIER OF FORTRESS

It wouldn't be Team Fortress without a fort

With all that leaning around corners, Activision's Soldier
Of Fortune is perfectly suited to the Team Fortress style
of online gameplay. It will come as no small surprise then
that a small team is working on one, called, wait for it, SoF
Team Fortress. A couple of month's after the source code
for Raven's top first-person shooter is released the team
hope to unleash an alpha version, which will include all the
standard features of previous Team Fortress mods. After
that we are told to expect new weapons and gameplay
modes, including Datathief, Informant and Hostile Takeover,
all of which offer variations on traditional 7"F themes. SoF
fans should bookmark www.sof-fortress.com for updates.

Every month we will be pointing you at ttie
best websites for the biggest online games.
This month's game is EverQuest

EQSTRATICS

http://eq.stratics.com/

"A minefield of information,"
says Chris Anderson who,
when it comes to EverQuest,
is pretty much the only one on
the PCZONEteavn who knows what he's talking about.

EYERLORE

www.everlore.com

Like EQ Stratics, Everlore boasts plenty in the way of
news and player guides, but what stands out most is
the sense of community, with well set-out forums for
people to hook up with.

OmCIAL EVERQUEST SITE

www.station.sony.com/everquest/

As with all official game sites, EverQuest is all about
selling the game. You'll find the manual, screenshots
and the latest FAQ, as well as news on what the
developers are up to.

EVERQUEST VAULT

http://eqvault.lgn.com
Apparently frequented by the
developers of EverQuest, EQ
Vault is a good place for
news and opinion and is
often first when it comes to info on what's happening
next in the EverQuest unmrse.

iUlAKHAZAM

http://everquest.allakhazam.com

Very much reliant on feedback, Allakhazam is
centred on quest and player guides. A lot of it is
stat-based, but for the newcomer the player guides
are succinct and a good place to start.

EQ ATLAS

www.eqatlas.com

TheAToZof £i/erOiyesf,EQ
Atlas is basically a series of
travel guides for almost every
corner of the EverQuest
universe and for anyone lost within. It includes maps of
all the major cities and regions, including Kunark.

Ten player classes will make the first version.

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 103

Uzard bloke gets
« in the thick of it.

Kunark is home to some very impressive new architecture.

EVERQUEST:

RUWSOFKUNNIK

O £29.99 • Monthly fee US$9.98 • UK distributor: Ubisoft • Out now

The expansion brings newi enemies.

The buildings in Kunark are more detailed than other EQ continents.

The first major update for EverQuest
has arrived. But do you really need it?
Let's ask Chris Anderson

For those of you yet to
experience EverQuest,
here follows a brief
synopsis of the game
and its concepts.
EverQuest, like its counterpart
Ultima Online, is a constantly
evolving online role-playing
game. Create a character from
a variety of races (human, elf,
barbarian etc) and classes
(druids, wizards, warriors, that
lot. . .) and travel the game world,
killing monsters, either alone or
with the help of many 'real'
players from all over the world,
earning experience as you go
and gaining higher levels in the
process. It all sounds very simple.
Fact is, it /s very simple, and very
enjoyable as a result. Unlike
Ultima Online, however, EQ has
impressive visuals. The whole
game world is in full 3D and
very nice it looks too. The
expansion contains the original
version of £Oand also brings
a brand new continent to the
game, namely Kunark and a
brand new race to play in
the form of the Iksars, an

odd-looking lizard-like evil race.
The continent of Kunark is huge,
with impressive architecture,
pretty scenery graphics and new
NPCs, which seem more detailed

CROWD CONTROL

As anyone who has played EQ
for any considerable period of
time will readily attest, this game
suffers from one major problem,
a problem that was singularly
responsible for many people
leaving EC? once they achieved
a reasonably high level:
overcrowding. While Verant
promised low server counts in
the early days of EQ, it cheerfully
neglected to stick to this promise
as the game grew in popularity,
resulting in massive server
overloads for all the popular
servers. It's not unusual to log
on to Tunare, for example, and find
1 ,600 people hanging about there.
Since the expansion's release,
many high-level players have

The Iksars. Would you want to play this race? Me neither.

^Having returned to the game for this
review after a nine-month exile, Tm once
again losing large amounts of time to it^

than their counterparts in the
other continents. This alone is
probably enough to justify the
cost of the expansion for EQ
veterans, but there is another
reason why the expansion disk is
good news, and you don't even
need to buy it to take advantage
of it. Confused? Read on.

moved to Kunark in search of new
items, with the knock-on effect
that the original playing areas are
now far less crowded. This is, of
course, a good thing indeed.
Having returned to the game for
this review after a nine-month
exile, I am once again losing large
amounts of my time to it, mainly

because I don't have to wait
hours to get into one of the more
desirable playing areas to 'level
up' my character.

High-level players in particular
will gain much from the Kunark
expansion, since they can now
level their characters up to 60
(50 was the limit with the original
game). This means new spells for
casters, and Verant has reduced
the agonising wait for new spells
between levels after 50 by
introducing spells for every
consecutive level you reach
beyond 60 for most casting
classes. The only downside of
Kunark itself is the seemingly
sporadic experience dished out
for killing monsters. Most of the
monsters con blue whether you're
level 35 or 45 which seems weird,
and anyone around level 40 will
get much higher experience in
somewhere like Upper Guk,
although there are rumours
that Verant will be increasing
experience gained in Kunark to
balance the gameplay (we can't
confirm this as we go to press).

It's also worth noting that high
level players (50 and above) are
finding very impressive loot in
Kunari(, so the expansion would
appear to be heaven-sent for
people in this level range.

While Kunari< doesn't radically
change Effs gameplay, it has
enough to justify upgrading, and
the extra space afforded on each
server due to a partial exodus
to Kunark makes it far more
appealing. Ultima Online may
have more depth, but £0 wins in
terms of sheer playability. O

l>1SraERpiPT

G UPPERS Dangerously addictive
• Great visuals • Well-balanced
gameplay

O DOWNERS Not as complex as Ultima
Online • Class-tweaking (it all went
horribly wrong for druids last year)

The last word in
online RPGs

104 PCZONE#92AUG2000

ULTIMA ONLINE:

KLTIIIU ONLINE: RENmE

RENAISSANCE

O £34.99 (US$1 0 per month to play, first month free) • Electronic Arts • Out now

Ultima Online was the game that kicked off the current craze in
online gaming. More than two years since its messy birth, Origin
has released the latest retail version. Jed Norton gets up to speed

Renaissance, bigger, but not necessarily better.

Renaissance is, and
lets be clear about this,
two years of patches
in one box. There's
nothing new here,
nothing, nada, zip (well, OK, a tiny
little bit). What it is, however, is
what a new gamer to online role-
playing requires to get a good
start in UO. At long last there is a
manual containing useful
information with introductions to
both the interface and how to play
the game. It also describes how
UO is now split into player-killing
(PK) and non-PK mirror worlds (a
damn fine idea) and thankfully it
doesn't contain that stupid cloth
map-come-handkerchief.

The game also has an online
tutorial for the beginner, covering
the basics of moving and fighting.
It allows the newbie up to 40

hours of gaming in a new town
called Haven, where nothing at
all is aggressive towards you -
which is very useful. Origin claims
that there are "legions of friendly
volunteers" to help you out, yet

CAN YOU HEAR THE BUr?

If this was the game that was
released two years back we'd
have raved about it. We raved
about last year's Second Age
version if you remember, but

^We spent most of our time staring at the
screen wondering if we had run away from
the Ore horde, or if, in fact, we were dead^

when we tried it these were
notable by their absence.

Out in the real-world newbies'
are bombarded with "helpful"
NPCs who will endlessly show
you how to use items and skills
via mini-quests. All this is fine for
the beginner and is definitely
what (/O needs to encourage new
gamers to play without having to
read hundreds of websites.

considering how far EverQuest
has come with its latest
incarnation, as it stands now
[70 struggles to keep up with its
competition. Latency (lag) in UO
is worse than we can remember
(except when it was first
released) and as we were using
ISDN and the server is in
Docklands, not America, we found
this disappointing. We used four

different ISPs (Freeserve,
BT Internet, Pipex and AOL) and
none of them cured the lag
problems. In fact, it was only
recently that we managed to
get any decent speeds and even
that was only at off-peak times.
We can only hope the situation
improves, which we're quite
sure it will.

Add the fact that monster
spawns are almost constant and
we found we spent most of our
time staring frustrated at the
screen wondering if we had run
away from the latest Ore horde or
if, in fact, we were dead. Five to
ten second freezes were common
and travelling via 'Moongate'
caused complete lock-ups about
50 per cent of the time.

The depth of (70 is still by far
the game's greatest attraction

and the role-playing freedom
that it offers is unparalleled, but
after playing other "massively
multiplayer online RPGs" we
can't seem to feel any real
connection with our little
isometric characters. UO seems
to have finally had its day and
when viewed next to the cheaper
EQ, we can only recommend you
try that instead. O

raVERDjCT

O UPPERS Role play freedom • PK and
non-PK lands • Good for newcomers
O DOWNERS Lag • looks dated.

AdyiRghorse.
truly flogged

For UO, 30 Is Just something that happens to other people.

•

Lots of people means lots of lag.

Red carpet? They must be important. Then again..

AUG2000#92PCZONE 105

COUNIER-SniKE BETH 1(6.1

COUNTER-STRIKE BETA V6.1

O Free download from www.counter-strike.net • Available now

It's the most popular online shooter,
and also the most authentic. Phil Wand
dons his Kevlar vest and helmet and
heads off to reality street

A free, downloadable
mod for Half-Life,
Counter-Strike is a
team-based action
shooter with heavy
emphasis on realism, co-operation
and strategy. Where contestants
of games such as Unreal
Tournament an6 Quake III Arena
are able to rocket-jump tali
buildings and take shotgun
blasts to the face, Counter-Strike
participants are dead if they catch
a sniper's bullet or fall off a roof.

Although such unbending
realism will piss you off at first,
perseverance is the key.

GUN LAW

Each Counter-Strike map has a
specific goal for both teams, and
each team has different weapons
and equipment at their disposal.
Some require the terrorists to
detonate a bomb in a designated

area; some require the CTs
(counter terrorists) to rescue
hostages; others involve the
terrorists trying to assassinate an
escaping president while the CTs
do their utmost to protect him.
The winning team is awarded a
pot of cash to buy new weapons,
equipment and ammunition
during the purchase stage at the
beginning of the next round.

Remarkably, players on
both teams work furiously to
achieve their goals with little or

no encouragement - very rarely
do you find individuals playing the
game as though it were a death-
match and the only score that
mattered was their own. One of
the major downsides to Counter-
Strike is that many matches will
pass with neither team making
any real advances. All too often,
your team is dug in back at base
instead of pushing forward.

GET REAL

The game is painstakingly
realistic. If you fall even four
or five feet, you stumble. If you
fall further, you wince and hurt
yourself. Misjudge your drop
or come off a ladder and you'll
break an ankle and be out. Bullets
don't just strip you of health, they

cause you to recoil in pain, and
there are no medi-packs to boost
you back up again. Not only that,
but once you're dead, you're
completely 6ea6, and out of the
game until the next round. And
don't think about cowering
in the next room, because the
powerful guns slice straight
through wood doors, plaster walls
and corrugated metal.

Almost without exception,
the maps are simply magnificent.
All are based on real surroundings
and feature a mix of paths,
avenues, houses, gardens,
sewers, ducts, passageways,
stairwells, warehouses, streets,
office blocks and corridors - one
even centres around rescuing
hostages from a full-size Boeing
747. Detailing and layout are
universally superb, with
every level exuding an
attention to detail that
makes you forget
this is the work of
hobbyists, not
professional
designers.

Perhaps
that's exactly

why this game works so
brilliantly. Rather than being
constrained by targets and
shooed along to meet deadlines,
the Counter-Strike \eavn has
suckled their baby lovingly, and
with little consideration for
anything but the gratification of
those who play it. The result is
a game worthy of its own box
on retail shelves, and with Valve
having bought into the project,
that may actually happen. But
until then, watch out for beta
version 6.5, which should be out
now, and includes new maps,
weapons and smoke effects. G3

PCZVE R DICT

G UPPERS Weapons • Money • Top

maps • Cool sounds • Authenticity

• Constantly updated

• May be too slow-paced for some

The best things
in life are free

It's your job to stop the dignitary getting on ttie chopper.

106 PCZONE#92AU62000

HlTIIMONUNtllENmE

ULTIMA ONLINE:

RENAISSANCE

O £34.99 (US$1 0 per month to play, first month free) • Electronic Arts • Out now
Ultima Online was the game that kicked off the current craze in
online gaming. IWore than two years since its messy birth, Origin
has released the latest retail version. Jed Norton gets up to speed

The game also has an online
tutorial for the beginner, covering
the basics of moving and fighting.
It allows the newbie up to 40

hours of gaming in a new town
called Haven, where nothing at
all is aggressive towards you -
which is very useful. Origin claims
that there are "legions of friendly
volunteers" to help you out, yet

CAN YOU HEAR THE BUr?

If this was the game that was
released two years back we'd
have raved about it. We raved
about last year's Second Age
version if you remember, but

^We spent most of our time staring at the
screen wondering if we had run away from
the Ore horde, or if, in fact, we were dead^

when we tried it these were
notable by their absence.

Out in the real-world newbies'
are bombarded with "helpful"
NPCs who will endlessly show
you how to use items and skills
via mini-quests. All this is fine for
the beginner and is definitely
what f/O needs to encourage new
gamers to play without having to
read hundreds of websites.

considering how far EverQuest
has come with its latest
incarnation, as it stands now
(yo struggles to keep up with its
competition. Latency (lag) in UO
is worse than we can remember
(except when it was first
released) and as we were using
ISDN and the server is in
Docklands, not America, we found
this disappointing. We used four

The depth of is still by far
the game's greatest attraction

and the role-playing freedom
that it offers is unparalleled, but
after playing other "massively
multiplayer online RPGs" we
can't seem to feel any real
connection with our little
isometric characters. ^70 seems
to have finally had its day and
when viewed next to the cheaper
EQ, we can only recommend you
try that instead. O

O UPPERS Role play freedom • PK and
non-PK lands • Good for newcomers
O DOWNERS Lag • looks dated.

A dying horse,
truly flogged

For UO, 3D is |ust something that happens to other people.

e important. Then again..

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 105

Pirm'^COBNTEII-STiyKEBEIAVe.l

COUNTER-STRIKE BETA V6.1

O Free download from www.counter-strike.net • Available now

It's the most popular online shooter,
and also the most authentic. Phil Wand
dons his Kevlar vest and helmet and
heads off to reality street

A free, downloadable
mod for Half-Life,
Counter-Strike is a
team-based action
shooter with heavy
emphasis on realism, co-operation
and strategy. Where contestants
of games such as Unreal
Tournament an6 Quake III Arena
are able to rocket-jump tall
buildings and take shotgun
blasts to the face, Counter-Strike
participants are dead if they catch
a sniper's bullet or fall off a roof.

Although such unbending
realism will piss you off at first,
perseverance is the key

GUN LAW

Each Counter-Strike map has a
specific goal for both teams, and
each team has different weapons
and equipment at their disposal.
Some require the terrorists to
detonate a bomb in a designated

Remarkably, players on
both teams work furiously to
achieve their goals with little or

GHREAL

You never seen a
ketchup gun before?

^pppiB^Bv. universally superb, with
X. every level exuding an
attention to detail that
^^^^^L makes you forget
\ hobbyists, not
\ professional
I designers,
j Perhaps
1 T that's exactly ■

why this game works so
brilliantly. Rather than being
constrained by targets and
shooed along to meet deadlines,
the Counter-Strike \eam has
suckled their baby lovingly, and
with little consideration for
anything but the gratification of
those who play it. The result is
a game worthy of its own box
on retail shelves, and with Valve
having bought into the project,
that may actually happen. But
until then, watch out for beta
version 6.5, which should be out
now, and includes new maps,
weapons and smoke effects. 53

PCZVEBDICT

G UPPERS Weapons • Money • Top

maps • Cool sounds • Authenticity

• Constantly updated
O DOWNERS CS regulars are almost

as intolerable as Quake regulars

• May be too slow- paced for some

The best things
in life are free

Powerful guns slice
straight through
wood doors, plaster
walls and corrugated
metal

106 PCZONE#92AUG2000

INFILTMTIQNV27S^^T1

The alt-fire button allows you to take aim.

Another one bites the dust.

INHLTRATION V2.75

O Free download from www.planetunreal.com/infiltration • Maps from www.planetunreal.com/realmaps • Out now

Richie Shoemaker s}Naps his redeemer
for a Robar and takes a look at one of
Unreal Tournaments finest additions

t is perhaps a little unfair to
be reviewing Infiltration ior
Unreal Tournament, seeing
as it doesn't include any
new maps or deathmatch

weapons with contemporary
ones, such as M16s, grenades and
sniper rifles; adds a scanner so
you can see where you are in
relation to your team and the

^What it does, and does rather well, is
replace UT's weapons with contemporary
ones, such as M16s and sniper rifles^

importantly, they're well balanced.
One new feature is the inclusion of
static heavy weapons - machine
guns etc - that fit in perfectly with
the assault style of play.

However, where Infiltration
falls a little flat is in its distinct
lack of included maps, which
thankfully there are plenty of on

This train level is
one of the best
currently available.

variations that aren't already
included in UT. However, a quick
email to the developer told us that
the next version is some weeks off
and as we can't stop playing it, we
thought we'd review it anyway.

Basically, what it does, and
does rather well, is replace UTs

enemy; and replaces the
traditional dual fire mode
so you can aim rather than
shoot from the hip. The
weapons themselves, nine in
this version, all look pretty good
and jump around in the hand
fairly convincingly and, more

the Real Maps website, some
of which are duff, some truly
excellent. We are promised a set
in the next version of the game, as
well as three new game modes.
Something to look forward to then.

Although not quite up to
the standard of Counter-Strike,
Infiltration is probably the closest
you'll get in Unreal Tournament
Movement is perhaps too quick
compared to Counter-Strike and
because it's more of an Assault-
style mod, games are usually
a case of progressing to new
areas and hitting switches.
However, that's not to
debase Infiltration in any
way. Because it is a //T mod
it's easy to set up, with its
own set of menus and
customisable settings, so you
can swap skins, weapons and
speed the game down if you wish.

If you're into the online side
of things, Counter-Strike is easily
the best bet for its realism and
originality, but for those times
when you can't be bothered to dial
in, Infiltration sUou\6 keep you
ticking over with its built-in bot
support. Whatever way you decide
to play, you may well find yourself
playing Infiltration more often than
vanilla UT We certainly do. C9

nayERpiCT

O UPPERS Real -world weapons and

skins • Highly configurable
O DOWNERS No new maps or

game variations

The best real-world
mod for UTso far

Bruce Willis
Carlito'sWay
Porno Murder Trial

HOTDOG

the new movie magazine
Plus Free
Hollywood PIn-Ups
Issue 2 on sale June 29

mimi um vs tmm - m edition

ALIENS VS PREDATOR

GOLD EDITION

O £34.99 • Fox Interactive • Out now

Richie Shoemaker slops his grinnin' and drops his iinen - just

as weii considering how scared he gets

Why, you may ask,
are we reviewing
AvP Gold m the
online section
when in the past
it has mainly been played as a
single-player game? Well, the
answer to that very valid question
is simple, because even though
there are two new weapons to
add to the Marine arsenal and
nine extra levels, they are all
geared towards multiplayer
gaming. You can try out the
marine pistol and skeet
weapons in the skirmish game,
of course, but that really isn't
much fun if you are on your own.
No, for single-players, especially
those who bought the original
game, AvP Gold is something of a
no-no. The 'free' Prima Official
Strategy Guide is obviously what
has driven the price up from what
should be a budget release and
although you get a save-game
feature (which is the same one

released as a patch some time
after the original game) and the
graphics have a been updated, it
all feels a bit of a con. Search the
bargain bins instead and try and
get hold of the orginal release.

On the multiplayer side of
things, AvP has kind of got its act
together. Developer Rebellion
has tidied up the Net code and
the game is now compatible with
M player. Static and Fragfinder,
which means you will be able
to find others to play against
rather easily, or at least it's easier
than it was before. (Mplayer
it has to be said is not one
the world's best servers to
play across.)

Although the two new
weapons are fun, they're not quite
as effective as you would
imagine. The pistol lacks
firepower and the Skeet gun just
doesn't fit in with the /li^P setting.
Quite frankly, we find it hard to
fathom why no shotguns or

Autosentries were included,
seeing as they featured quite
heavily in the Aliens f\\m. In fact,
after watching the entire Aliens
series on DVD, there's a hell of a
lot more that could have been
done to expand upon its themes.
Although, with talk of a sequel on
the way, it's obvious such ideas
are being saved up.

AvP Golds best features are
its extra levels - and for the most
part, the levels are good.
Nostromo, based on the original
Alien iWm is perhaps the weakest,
as it is set around the outside of
the ship from the first Alien iWm
rather than within and constitutes
one of the flatest maps you'll
ever play. Leadworks, however,
(from Alien 3} is absolutely
superb, especially if you play as
a group of marines against
computer-controlled Aliens.

For a few extra levels and a
couple of weak weapons, AvP
(jo/ty represents something of a

half-baked
effort. To make
matters worse, those who own
the original game will be unable
to play against those who buy the
Gold Edition, although for US$9.99,
old-timers can upgrade, which
represents far better value for
money than buying this edition.

At the end of the day, AvP Gold
can only be recommended to
those who've yet to experience
the original game. Even so, apart
from the strategy guide, there's
very little here to justify the price.
^i^Phas dated and was never the
multiplayer game we all hoped it
would be anyway. As such, we
can only recommend that first-

timers buy
the original game
and old hands eager for more get
hold of the expansion instead,

nzyERpipT

O UPPERS Scary as ever • Some
excellent new maps • Updated and
improved Net code

O DOWNERS Disappointing for single-
players • A bit of a rip-off • Graphics
look dated

first-timers only
need apply

Crappy explosions, nothing new here.

.1.

hn Woo double-pistol action.

No new weapons for Aliens Vs Predators.

A great map that Headworlts.

108 PCZONE#92AUG2000

ACES HIGH VI. 02

©Free download (US$29.99 per month) • HiTech Creations (www.hitechcreations.com) • Out now

Chocks away and tally-ho as Daniel EmerybiAs
toodle-pip to the ladies and goes in search of some
high-flying online action

ICES n VI

Developed by a splinter
group of the original
team who brought us
Warbirds, Aces High
is, in essence, an
updated and expanded clone
of its predecessor - but not
entirely. Where WarbirdshdiS
remained fairly static for two
years, Aces High has introduced
a number of aircraft that the
online community has been
unable to fly until now, like
the Macchi C205 (coo). Future
versions of Aces High, we're
told, will even introduce land
vehicles and targets (probably
to pre-empt the launch of WWII
Online (www.wwiionline.com),
but for now. Aces High is simply
about dogfighting, something it
manages fairly well.

Contrary to popular belief.

is an anal retentive who can
quote the number of bullets
carried in a plane, but in games
of Aces High, most of those
in the virtual skies can.
Consequently, HiTech Creations
has had to get the physics
models of the aircraft just right
to get the guns to actually
disperse and so forth.

The graphics in the game
are of a reasonably high standard
and there are some nice touches,
such as a proper 3D look around
cockpit and some great stereo
sound effects. In terms of
connection ping times Aces High
also does very well (we tested it
with AOL, CIX and Pipex) and
there was little UFO plane motion
to be seen.

But it isn't ail sweetness and
light. The guns do tend to act like

learning curve is very steep.
But when you compare it to
the slightly better Warbirds
(which charges about £1 .50 per
hour), Aces High is far more
economical, and because it's
in constant development, it's
a game worth keeping your
sights on if you're into online
dogfighting in any way. [3

O UPPERS Nice graphics • Wide
variety of planes • New features
constantly being added

O DOWNERS Steep learning curve •
Just dogfighting at the moment

Look around your cockpit in proper looky-roundy 3D, only In Aces High.

If you can afford it,
stick with Warbirds
for the time being

not every online games player lasers and for a new player the

Soon you'll be able to drive one of these babies.

03 JAILB REAKBETAV2.2

O Free download from www.teamreaction.com • Out now

Richie Slioemal(et, you are accused of
playing Qualce ill How do you plead?

One of the biggest
criticisms of Quake III
Arena is that although
its deathmatch game
is certainly the fastest
and the most furious, its team-
based play is lacking in depth
next to Unreal Tournaments
wealth of Capture The Flag,
assault and domination games.
The Quake IIIJailbreakn]o6,
however, goes a long way to
redressing the balance.

Like all good mods Jailbreak is
deceptively simple. There are no
cumbersome character classes or
key bindings to worry about,
neither is it based around

contemporary themes like so
many mods these days. In
essence it is more like a simple
game of Capture The Flag, but
with the emphasis on getting
your mates out of the nick, which
makes it more team-focused
than any other mod you care to
mention. And because it uses
Quake III, it remains fast, furious
and above all fun.

Although the range of Quake III
weapons remain intact there are
some maps with cameras and
static weapons. However,
Jailbreak comes with its own set
of maps, some of which are tight
and perfectly balanced, others
sprawling and disorientating.

The aim is simple: to remain
alive. If you die you are sent to
prison. If your entire team ends up
in pokey, the opposing team has
the fun of seeing you die horribly
and you begin again. Therefore, it

Some maps have BFG gun emplacements.

is important that whenever
someone ends up in the slammer
they are rescued, if only for the
simple reason that lifers will
get increasingly bored, although
there is some relief in killing
your cell mates. Hence, unlike
traditional CTF, Jailbreak majps
offer more in the way of tactical
options with the jails being a
focus for both teams. Add to that
the problem of losing teammates
and you get a game that can

switch from all-out war to tense
guerilla tactics in an instant.

Although there are a few
niggles Ja/7^7rea/c emphasizes
just how much ground Quake III
is gaining on Unreal Tournament.
QIH is all about speed and
Jailbreak is a perfect
complement to it. If this and
a few other mods had been
included with Quake ///at the
outset, Unreal Tournament m\qh\
never have had a look in. [13

|iCWERD|CT

O UPPERS Complements 0/// perfectly

• Some excellent maps.

O DOWNERS No new weapons •
Being constantly in jail is tx)ring

• Contains a few bugs

It is worth doing
for

AUG2000#92PCZONE 109

I\l E x/\/

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INSnNT

MESSMIINII

It's the best way to communicate when
online, and is also becoming the most
popular. Phil IVantf takes a look at the
Internet's top four instant messagers

Back in the summer of 1996, a small group of Israeli
computer geeks found a simple solution to a common
problem: how lo put people in touch with one another
when they were connected to the Internet. Sure, there
were already all manner of peculiar places to hang out and
chat, but there was no obvious way of seeing the moment
your chums became available online.

So ICQ was bom, and the instant messaging market along

with it. Released to an

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the list *•

t>3 pSYCX
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buttons I

£^ylM/lMiUlMis

iCalSN/A

1 Once you've used an instant

messenger, you'l

1 wonder how you

1 lived wittiout one. |

eager Internet community
in November of the same
year, the product sucked
in new users at the rate of
900,000 every month for
three years solid. And with
no business plan, no
revenue stream, no profit,
and their product still in
its beta stage of
development, the four
geeks sold their new
company to AOL for
US$287m. And not one
of them was a day over
30. ICQ and friends are
electronic address books
- albeit rather ornamental
ones - filled with a list of
online contacts. Each
contact is assigned a
unique, identifying
number that can be given
out in much the same way
as an email address. The
fact that everything is
stored centrally on a main
server means that when
you update your details,
for example to reflect a
change of email address,
folks who have you listed
in their contact lists
are able to update the
information with the
click of a button.

ICQ 2000

ICQInc

W¥fw.icq.com

The momma of all messaging
products, ICQ is also the most
popular Thousands of people
sign up every day and millions
more use it on a regular basis.
Its basic functions, common to
all messaging products, allow
you to add, delete, and modify

idPowWow Wandy

JCJxl

file Send Qptionj ^eb

Communities Help

•

Add Search PowWov

Join

A PowWo'^' ■ ; .M: i '

▼ (1) SBHHHH

Dave

■r Family (0)

r Work (P) M

\Buddjts/

Rtgistration jcc«pt«d

Lacks tlie ttirust of Yahoo and

iCQ and feels a bit past

Fantastic range of features
with an incongruous front-end.

your contact list, and to arrange
people into groups. There's a
range of privacy options, allowing
you to make yourself 'invisible' so
you can come and go without
being noticed. ICQ also supports
drag-and-drop file transfer,
allowing you to send a file
directly to one of your contacts
without resorting to your email
client. Plus, you can set
reminders, prompt for action on
someone's birthday, or listen to
the radio. The latest versions
provide seamless integration of
ICQMail (much like Hotmail) and a
more compliant interface.
Pros: Powerful • Feature laden
• Everyone uses it
Cons: Clumsy non-compliant
interface • Hideous website
Score: OOOOO

POWWOW

IKbal Voice
W¥fw.powwow.com

PowWow has been around for
some time and has evolved into
a very useable, if slightly ropey,
instant product. It was the first
client to integrate Internet-based

allows you to combine contacts
into different groups, but it is
unique in being able to read
messages out loud and also in
its ability to conduct online tours,
where one person is able to take
over control of another's web
browser and guide them around
a site. PowWow also uses bulletin
boards where people can leave
messages in public forums.
Pros: Ease of use • Voice chat
through InstaVoice
Cons: Rough around the edges
Score: OOOOO

YAHOO INSTANT
MESSENGER

Yahoo

http://uk.messenger
.yahoo.com

If every
product here were released
from the stalls at the same time,
Yahoo Instant Messenger would
be first past the finish line, a
nose in front of arch-rival ICQ.
It feels like a more solid, if not
more substantial, product than
its chief rival, it's more feature-
packed than MSN and it's more
customisable than PowWow.
However, the ICQ boys had a
head start, and in a market that
thrives on sheer numbers, they'll
always be at the front of the field.
Pros: Easy integration of news,
weather and other data
Cons: Most people use ICQ
Score: OOOOO

MSN MESSENGER
SERVICE

Microsoft
http://msn.co.uk

Surprisingly for a Microsoft
product, MSN Messenger
Service is a real lightweight.
Considering the muscle of the

Lovn Edit Nem Y1 Help

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• Blaii returns (torn babv break
to political stofm

Daily Record

• Nif^e Qne SavsCherie

• p^n<>t O^ieyi

• Saior Jailed After Ship Runs

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Belfast Telegiaph

• Gol: Nod GuHoxes Field To
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• r^^lf Garth's Ftil Of Eastern
Promise

• Golf: DarrenOnAHiQhAltet
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' UK: Business Top Stories

Fde yiev

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Add

Status

Maid)

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A solid product let down by the
fact that ICQ got there first.

Your contact list (shown below) does not

yet have anyone in it

Click the Add button to start cieating youi

list

■KConlacIs Cuner^ OnKrw^ j

^None""
JH Contacts Not Online

^None

msir Messenger Serv

iK jijne Search

^ Phiip (Onine)

Looks distinctly skinny next to
its beefier rivals.

company behind it, we're
surprised it packs less punch
than its rivals - for example, the
ability to create groups or send
voice messages. OK, so it's
refreshing to find a Microsoft
front-end that isn't cluttered,
but here it's simplicity at the
expense of functionality. And
when you're up against ICQ and
Yahoo, all this does is put you at
the back of the field.
Pros: Easy install • Familiar
look and feel

Cons: Too simple • Lacks
crucial functionality
Score: OOOOO

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 111

bave
up to 65%

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ULEGIINCESTIIIimSIIOIDE

ALLEGIANCE HIIEn GOIK

O FLYING HIGH: Jed Norton

Allegiance is Microsoft's online space combat sim. Althougli it's a great game, especially for teamplay, it has
a steep learning curve that tends to put some people off. Here are some pointers to help you get ahead

SCOUTS Scout ships armed with mines are
deadly. The easiest trick is to run through an
aleph and drop your mine as soon as you
exit - any chasing ship will run smack into
them. To help out your commander, when
starting, load up with probes and drop them
in as many sectors as you can.

They are underrated by a lot
of gamers who tend to use them solo and
then slate them as weak. However, 'big
wing' tactics wor1< very well so always stay
in a group and you'll draw in enough of the
enemy's resources to plan a bomber attack.

iNTrprr»:'Tr;p5: j^ese are great short-
range craft and are very easy to fly, but with
no RIP facility they need forward bases to
act as attack ships, otherwise they should
stay in defence. Use them to ram smaller
ships - other gamers hate ramming but
just ignore them, it's a great tactic.

STEALTH HGHTERS Stealth fighters are
all about strategy and, er, stealth. Don't load
them with shields or missiles in the external
mounts - you need to keep your radar
signature low. Use the + key to zoom in on
enemies at ultra long range and snipe from
afar. Use the Z axis (up and down) and cloak
before going through alephs and only
attack when you know you can kill.

PODS Below your target reticule is a red
number. That's your damage bonus and it
goes up with every kill. Pod killing is a big
no-no, but if you see a pod with a high
bonus, kill it. Any pilot with a high bonus
(30+) is extremely deadly. And if you want
to get back to base in a hurry, just ram
your pod into the enemy.

VECTORING This keeps you flying in a
straight line while allowing you to turn in
any direction. Pilots assume scouts only
lay mines while running away. Vector your
ship, but turn towards your pursuer - he
thinks you're on an attack run and will
boost in at you . . . drop your mine and
he'll get a surprise.

O Vectoring Is worth getting to grips with.

BOOSTERS Use boosters to cut down
the time an enemy has to make a straight-
line shot at you. When running away put

your ship in a permanent spin and then
apply boosters and jink slightly (so as
not to lose any speed). No small ship
should be able to hit you.

PROBES Detection equals death, so always
destroy enemy probes whenever you detect
them. To lay a trap, kill all but one probe in a
sector Place your ships out of scan range
then send in a bomber to be detected. . .
the enemy will come for an easy kill.

G Load up on probes If you want to know
where the enemy Is coming from next

CHA ] Squads use specific channels for
each ship type or group, for example.
Delta for defence. This allows for greater
co-ordination without cluttering up the
commander's channel.

RANKING Rank is stacked for those who
kill lots of bases - the best fighter pilots

don't care about rank. I have an 8:1 kill
ratio and never get close to the top 1 00.
Anonymity holds its own kind of bonuses
in >!|//eg/a/7ce- opponents underrate you,
then they die.

COMMANDING Unless you know what
you're doing you should avoid taking on the
commanding role in larger games. The best
way to learn is to hook up with some mates
and play a small game. If you screw up your
mates shouldn't mind too much.

G Commanding Is a hicky business.

MORE TIPS We can't cover everything
on just one page, so go online and check
out two of the best Allegiance sites in
existence, www.planetallegiance.com
and http://alvault.ign.com. Both sites
are great for news and reviews and you'll
find comprehensive player guides for
every aspect of the game.

PC ZONE ONLINE COMING SOON f

Log in to PC ZONE Online next issue
as we'll be taking a look at Dark Sector,
ttie online first-person action game and
space combat sim from Unreal
rofi/na/ifenf co-developers Digital
Extremes. We'll also have the latest
from £i^eft7<ies/ creator Verant with

its online real-time strategy game
Sovereign (and maybe a few juicy
tidbits on Star Wars Online too).

Not only that but the latest versions
of Counter-Strike, Quake III FortresSj
Strike Force and Aces High will also
be upon us and if that's not enough,

Phil Wand will be rounding-up ICQ
chat software and the goblin king
Chris Anderson will be giving us his
personal top tips for EverQuest If
there's anything else you'd like to
see, email us at letters.pczone®
dennis.co.uk.

strike Force for Unreal Tournament,
reviewed next Issue.

immBiiwiETs

THE ALIEN LEGACY

£69.99 (also available individually for £19.99 each)
• 20th Century Fox • Out now

There cafi be no doubt that Ridley Scott's Alien and James
Cameron's Aliens are both sci-ti
masterpieces, but it tias become
traditional to deride ttie ttiird and
fourth films in the saga as no more
than poor cash -ins. That's
bollocks. Every film in this box
set is great in its own way.
from the gothic horror of the
original to the post-modern marvel that is
Alien Resurrection. Alien 3 is a flawed, but still fascinating
medieval tour de force that fares much better when seen as
an episode in a wildly varied series. It's a DVD must-have,
Extra features: Alien contains deleted scenes and commentary
from the director. The rest feature behind-the-scenes footage,
interviews and trailers, and there's a fifth disc containing a
feature-length documentary. Superb.

OOCKK)

GADGETS

This month we bring you reviews on aii the latest hardware, bool(s, DVDs
and all things fun for yoifr PC

HEAT

£19.99 • Warner Home
Video • Out now

Heat is a modern day epic
in every sense of the word
featuring a host of stars, including acting
legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The story revolves
around a LA cop hunting down the perpetrators of a
massive armed robbery. With some of the best action
sequences of any film to date, and the best gunfight ever,
Heat is a must-see for all action movie fans with a spare
three hours on their hands.
Extra features: none _

ooooo

ENHR THE DRAGON

Warner Home Video
•£19.99 • Out now

Even 27 years after its
original release. Bruce Lee's martial
arts classic is still highly watchable. Questionable ^
voice-overs and a highly comedic perfomiance from Brucey
himself - when he's not kicking the shit out of everyone he
meets - do not detract from an action movie that was light
years ahead of its time. No extra features for DVD. but an
essential purchase all the same.
Extra features: none

OOOOO

THE MATRIX

Warner Home Video

• £19.99 • Out now

Reality? What's that then? The
Matrix '\sn'\ brand new on DVD, but it's not
only one of the best films to test out your new system, it's also
a showcase for the new digital medium with an amazing
amount of behind-the-scenes footage. Jaw-dropping special
effects and Keanu Reeves actually acting in a slightly comy
but excellent action flick.

Extra features: Making Of The Matrix, plus special-effects
mini -documentaries and PC storyboard, screenplay
and genre essays.

BUWE RUNNER -THE
DIRECTOR'S CUT

£19.99 • Warner Home Video

• Out now

Based on Phillip K Dick's
short story Do Androids

Dream Of Electric Sheep? Blade

Runner \s dystopian sci-fi at its best and remains
as relevant today as it was nearly 20 years ago. This
director's cut sets a darker mood than the original
cinema release, with Hanison Ford's narration cut and
the ending left more open. As a film it remains a classic,
but as a DVD this could have done with extra features.
Extra features: none

OOOOO

114 PCZONE #92^2000

GIGANTA

US$16.99 • EverGlide • www.everglicle.com

You might not be shit at games. Did you know that
any of your first-person shooting ills can be handily
directed back at inadequate hardware? In actual
fact, you might be good enough to walk away with
the top prize at a gaming tournament, but if you're
using a mouse that's clogged with enough flakes of
skin to produce a clone and a worn-out mat then you
might as well give up.

There is a solution. 1) Clean your mouse.
2) Invest in one of these specialised mouse
mats. The EverGlide GIGANTA is made
out of hard, inflexible plastic, and
sports a textured surface for s.
maximum accuracy. It takes a bit of
getting used to, purely because it's so
accurate and fast, but we guarantee
that it will improve your game. If you're a
bit of a hotshot already it might provide the
extra per cent you need. If you're crap then
you might be able to kill a few people online.
If you're really, really crap then we wouldn't
recommend buying one, because it's not a miracle
cure-all. OOOOO

CYBER3DVISOR

£70 • ANP • www.anp.co.uk

Things like 3D glasses and helmets have been knocking
around in various guises for a few years now, but
they've never really taken off. There are many reasons
for this, not least of which is the fact that they make
the user look really stupid. Lack of software support
has also been a huge player in the downfall of virtual hat
type things, but hey, we've found one that wort<s. The
CyberSDvisor gives the illusion of depth in any 3D-accelerated
game. The 3D effect is mildly impressive, but not good enough
to make you want to don your cyberhat every time you load up
a game. The Cyber3Dvisor is reasonably cheap for this kind of
technology (and it will be bundled with a game, although it
hasn't been confirmed which one yet), but the illusion of
depth it creates is not convincing enough to warrant the
expenditure. OOOOO

SAITEK P2000 TILT PAD

£39.99 • Saitek • www.saitek.com

Every serious gamer needs a decent pad, and this latest addition 1
the Saitek range adds to the already sizeable choice. So what d
you get for your 40 quid? The clue is in the name, as the
P2000 comes replete with the latest tilt technology,
making it perfect for giris who insist on tilting regular
pads when playing driving games, for instance (and
before you start bleating, it was a giri that suggested
this). It worths well enough, but it's a bit too much like
exercise for our liking, and greater accuracy is offere
by the analogue stick, a sturdy affair that can also be
locked into either axis. Driving games are the P2000^
forte, and for something like NASCAR, the analogue
control is a blessing. It's certainly a usable pad, but
despite the attempt to pass itself off as high-tech, it
looks a little bit cheap, which it isn't. OOOOO

MOBrnfrmlMTl

IOMEGA ZIPCD 650

£229 • Iomega • www.iomega.co.uk

There are lots of things you can do with a CD-Writer.
Unfortunately, most of them are completely illegal, but even if you
stick to the right side of the law, CD storage is definitely the most flexible
medium money can buy. Blank CDs are cheap (about 50p each if you buy in bulk), can
be read on almost every PC and offer 650Mb of storage space or about 70 minutes of audio.

As the name suggests, this drive also accepts the reusable CD/RW discs, although annoyingly
Iomega hasn't bothered to stick one in the box.

The clever thing about this drive is that it hooks up to your PC via a USB port, which means it's as easy to install as a
standard phone. SCSI-based drives are still a lot faster (up to 8x recording), but unless your PC is equipped it means buying and
installing an extra card (which can be potentially messy). Add this to the fact that it's a relatively small external drive and the
upshot is you can take it with you wherever you go, burning CDs with gay abandon. The only downside is the paltry 4x read
speed, but as you're not going to be buying this to replace your standard CD drive it doesn't really matter. We love it and we
want to keep it. (If Iomega asks, by the way, we've lost it.) OOOOO

ACT-LABS CUN
SYSTEM

US$89.99 • www.act-labs.com

If you've got a Dreamcast or a
PlayStation then you've probably
got a gun and a shooting game.
Games such as Time Crisis and
House Of The Deadane excellent
with a huge TV and a living
room with plenty of sofas to
hide behind. They're not so
good on the PC, and that's why
lightgun-games are a bit thin
on the ground.

The Gun System kit provides
two guns, a single-handed
controller for movement, and
a holster. First impressions are
pretty poor. The guns are light, look
like cheap toys (as opposed to
expensive toys) and slip out of the
holster unless you wedge them in
with full force.

You get a game as well, Remington
Top Shot, an "interactive target shooting
game" which is about as interesting as
it sounds. Compatibility with other
commercial titles is a bit sketchy at the
moment (check www.act-labs.com for
the latest list), and Activision has just
withdrawn from including any future
support for Soldier Of Fortune.

However, there are a couple of mods
that allow you to play with Quake //and
Half-Life (check www.glitterstream
.net), where you're shoved through the

game on rails (or move through it using
the hand controller), blasting away at
hostiles for all you're worth. It's good
fun, for about ten minutes, but if this is
your kind of thang then you'll get more
out of it and, design faults aside, this is
a decent enough piece of kit.
OOOOO

TRIGGER HAPPY

Author: Steven Poole
£12.99 • Fourth Estate • Out now

Unlike other established forms of
entertainment, such as films and novels,
games have struggled to be recognised
as art and have received very little
academic attention. This book sets out
to redress the balance.

Poole is clearly a console man, most of
his examples are dravi/n from console

titles, so it's no surprise that Trigger

Happy concerns itself with the aesthetics ~
of video games rather than a search for meanings.

But it would be foolish to dismiss Trigger Happy ior this
console bias. He charts the pre history of video games
and explores their relation with films, psychology,
architecture and painting, while exploding preconceived
ways of thinking about them.

A landmark in the critical wasteland of video game writing,
this could be the harbinger of a new radical
approach to the maturing art of games.

OOOOO

OPTIMIZING WINDOWS FOR
GAMES, GRAPHICS AND
MULTIMEDIA

Author: David L Farquhar
£16.50 • O'Reilly • Out now

If you're fed up trying to track down
ancient hardware mags to find out where
you read about a particular Windows
tweak, you'll probably find them in this
book. The layout is tremendously boring, with no screenshots
or graphics, but the information is concise. It has very little to
say about games in general, but all the fine-tuning affecting
performance will inevitably make your games run better.

OOOOO

FORCE COMMANDER
STRATEGY GUIDE

£12.99 • Prima Games • Out now

With a useful run-down of every unit and
structure in the game, general strategy
tips and step-by-step guides of every
mission, there's really little else you
could want. You will also find some
handy advice from the game's testers,
who really know it inside out. Probably
more polished than the game itself.

OOOOO

THIEF II STRATEGY GUIDE

£12.99 • Prima Games • Out now

Following the sad demise of Looking Glass,
browsing through the guide to its last game
is much like reading an autopsy report,
with the very innards of the game
exposed for the world to see. The
exhaustive walkthrough, which reveals
every loot location, is let down by
shoddy structure and layout.

OOOOO

EVERQUEST: RUINS OF
KUNARKOFFICUU. STRATEGY
GUIDE

£12.99 • Prima Games • Out now

A wealth of information for Verant's online
RPG. this guide covers most things to
appease novice and even advanced
adventurers. A strange oversight,
however, is a complete list of spells in
alphabetical order, wliich would have
been far more useful had they been
divided by class. This suggests the
guide was written by someone who
hasn't played the game, which is a bit
crap. Apart from that it's an almost
essential EQ companion.

OOOOO

Mark Hill

AUG2000#92PCZONE 115

2 pc games for £40

Police Quest Swat 3 Pharoah

jo mind blowing savings

mr MKK^ JgSBSB^

Delta Force 2

Home World

TJBERIAn

Tiberian Sun

Theme Park World

many more titles available in store

DANGEROUSLY
ENTERTAINING

megastores

*Sticker»d ittms only. While stocks last.

Oman in trouble MarkHill

You're nothing but
. a bunch of cheats.
I I Every day we get

dozens of letters
and emails asking
for personal replies
containing cheats
for whatever game it is you're
playing. Where is your sense of
pride? Where is your spirit of
competition, of striving to become
better players and better people by
overcoming insurmountable odds
and tricky situations? We, of course,
being the gaming experts that we
are, do not shirk even the mightiest
of challenges. We face them with
confident defiance in search of
no reward other than a sense of
accomplishment. There's absolutely
no truth in the rumour that Dave
Woods played Daikatana with
the Strategy Guide Book (which
appeared months before the game)
nestled snuggly in his lap. We are
professionals, we can perform
miracles with a mouse and
keyboard. Keep this in mind when
you next supplicate for codes and
cheats, you weaklings. By the way,
does anyone know how to get into
the police archives in The Nomad
Soul? I'm completely stuck.

118CHEATMASTER

PC ZONES biggest cheat, Keith Pullin, shows you
how to get the most out of your games.

119DEAR KEITH

Filled with gaming woes? Feel like there's no one
to turn to? Fear not. your worries are over, Uncle
Keith is here to help.

120 MESSIAH WALKTHROUGH

Yes, there really is a God, 'cos we have all the
answers to the mysteries of Messiah.

124 THIEF II: THE METAL AGE

In part two of our super walkthrough Martin Korda
guides you right through to the end of the maze
that is Thief II.

128 DEAR WANDY

Our very own techno wizard waves his magic
wand in your direction.

130 WATCHDOG

The consumers champion, Adam Phillips, springs
into action in an effort to find the answers to
your gaming gripes.

CHEAT
MASTER

Cheats, cheats and then perhaps a few more cheats

OCHEATMEISTER Keitti Pullin

ON THE CO

WSKT^ More cheats, tips
^^1^ and solutions on
. the cover CD this
month. Find out
what's in store by looking at
the Editorial section of your
CD-ROM browser.

lffEOHEU>?

If your problems persist, you
can sohre them if you. . .

WRITE TO Dear Keith/Cheat Master,

PC ZONE, Dennis Publishing,

19 Bolsover Street, London W1P 7HJ

EMAIL letters.pczone@dennis.co4ri(
witti Dear Keith or Cheat Master in the

subject line.

STAR TREK:
ARMADA

Activision

Here's another fine collection
of cheats to add to last month's
aperitif. Simply press 'Enter*
during the game, then type:
imouttastepwithreality Enter
Gamma
quadrant

Youstopmecold Faster stiip
production
Avoidance Faster crew
production

If you're feeling adventurous
you can try the following file
modification for invincibility. Open
the file <RTS CFG.H\ Go to the line
under difficulty settings and edit
'float EASY DAMAGE = 0.5;' or 'float
HARD„DAMAGE = 2.0;' to 'float
EASY_DAMAGE = 0.0;' or 'float
HARD DAMAGE = 0.0;'

It's also possible to transport
extra people by again modifying the
'RTS CFG.H.' file and changing the
^TRANSPORTER MAX = 5;' line to a
higher vaiua

IMPERIUIM
GAL ACTICA II

Take 2 Interactive
Key in iistenupeverylUKly!' on
the title screen to activate the
cheat mode, then type in any of
these spacey codes:

Dienodie God mode
Shootem' All weapons
ghettoblaster Allaircrafts

TACHYON:THE
FRINGE

Novalogic

During the game press '7' on
the keypad to display the
console window. Type 'im a
cheater' to activate the cheat.
Now, enter one of the
following codes:

quickening God mode
dilithlum Full energy
come get some Full ammunition
ragtag All ships
Icesselrun Ship enhanced
boom stick All items
one million dollars 5000 more
credits

there is no spoon Return to
Starbase to
complete
mission

RAINBOW SIX:
ROGUE SPEAR
URBAN
OPERATIONS

Take 2 Interactive

These cheats are activated
in the same way as in the

O You need never die again in
Urban Operations.

Original game. Basically you
just hit 'Enter' during the
game to activate the console
and then type one or all of
the following terrorist
terminating codes:

Avatargod Selected

character Is
invincible
Teamgod Team invincible
Theshadowknows Invisible mode
Sflngerdlscount Refill

ammunition
explore Toggle victory
conditions
nobrainer Disable Al

ABOMINATION

Bdos Interactive

Hit 'Enter' during the game,

then type one of the

following cheats:

autowin! Win mission
dolomite Invincibility

paul haney sees all Show enemy
soldiers

toggle bottombar Switch bottom
display

set.campaign X Skip to new
campaign
(where X is one
of the campaigns
below...)

Angola tutorial
Angola
Romania
Kola
Caribbean
Kola 2
Ecuador
Peru
Angola 2

STARLANCER

Microsoft

To skip a mission, hold 'Ctri'
at the main menu and type
'potatoe'. 'Ml' appears at
the top-left comer of the
screen. Use the numbers on
the keyboard to change this
to whatever mission number
you like. Now hold 'Ctri' and
*Entef' until the ship selection
screen appears. You can now
carry on as normal.

CHUT MASTER nmlmTiTHni

Having trouble with a
game and can't wait
to see a reply in these

pages? Then you
need to check out...

mpcmm

HELPLINE ON
09064664475

IIPBISE1IDIMYSIIWEDI.IIIM-11PM

On the rare occasion that they
can't help, your query will be
passed on to a support team
who guarantee to find you an
answer within 24 hours.

• Calls cost £1 .50 per minute at all nines.
Charges vvill appear on your standard
telephotie bill. If you do not pay ttie bill
yourself, seek permission from wtwever

does pay it before calling.
It you have any problems, please call
Customer Services on 0870 800 61 55.

i^Win the Pink
Lemonade race l }

to play as Big
GayAr99

Go speed racer. Big Gay Al sneaks up h^om behind.

SOUTH PARK
RALLY

Here's how to access cheats
and new players in the latest
South Park spin-off.
Cheat mode Complete championship

mode without using any tokens.
Cheat Sheet optkNi Win the Rally

Days 1 race without collecting

any power-ups.
Play as Jesus Win Christmas race.
Play as Bebe Lose the Cowdays race

without getting any health

power-ups.
Play as Big Gay AJ Win Pink

Lemonade race.
Play as Mr Garrison Activate all

four checkpoints on the Rally

Days 2 race.
Play as Cartman Cop Hit Chicken

Lover five times with salty balls

in the Read A Book Day race.
Play as Damian Win New Year's race

as the only racer to touch the

millennium key.
Play as Death Win Halloween race

after only dropping oft four

candies at a time.
Play as Grandpa Win the

Halloween race.
Play as Ike Collect the hidden power-
up on top of the plane in the

Memorial Day race.
PlayasMandn Win Thanksgiving

race without collecting
any turkeys.
Play as Mephisto Win Independence
Day race.

Play as Mr Mackey Win the Spring

Cleaning race.
Play as Ned Collect more than 12

turbo power-ups in the

Independence Day race.
Play as Pip Activate checkpoints one

and four on the Rally Days 2 race.
Play as Satan Win the New

Year's race.
Play as Shelly Collect three hidden

power-ups in the Valentine's Day

race. There's one by each tower

and another behind the Skater

picture in the jungle.
Play as Terrance and Phillip Collect

the four hidden power-ups in the

Christmas race.
Play as IVveak Collect five power-ups

in the Spring Cleaning race.
Play as Visitor Collect the hidden

power-up above checkpoint one
and the power-up between check
point four and the wooden bridge
in the Memorial Day race.
Play as Scuzzlebutt Find a Phillip fart
on the Easter Egg Hunt race. Then find
the waterfall and fart your way to the
Golden Cow next to the waterfall.

DEARKEnH

Keith Pullin wades through a river of tears to comfort your gaming grief...

RAMMING SPEED

Hl'm having some real difficulty
staying on the track at the start of
every race in F1 2000. Basically I'm
getting rammed all over the place by
other drivers and for some reason my
beautiful Ferrari handles like a wheelchair
in a swamp. Is there a problem with the
game or is this something I've just got
to learn to live with?

Paul Ingleford, Bradford-upon-Avon

Q Pulling away from the green
light Is a traumatic event in F1
2000 as the game suffers from severe
slowdown at this point, however, there
are partial remedies. First, turn down
the graphics detail and have only sue or
seven cars on screen at once. Second,
ahways take it nice and easy at the
start of any race - just wait for a
sensible passing opportunity rather
than flying down the inside and
braking late. Finally, try and qualify
in pole position - that way nobody
will be in your way. Simple!

SUPPLY PROBLEMS

HAH my troops keep running out of
supplies in Earth 2150. 1 have a
supply depot and everything, but it just

doesn't seem to work. I take it I'm missing
something important here, so can you tell
me what I'm doing wrong?

Steve Rot)erts, Great Yarmouth

HYour problem is simple. Due to a
substantial shortage of common
sense you have not realised that in
order to supply the front line you must
have some kind of transport to supply
them with. In other words you need to
manufacture a couple of helicopters
and attach them to your supply depot.
The rest you'll be delighted to hear
happens automatically. Some people...

READING
DIFFICULTIES

HI don't know how to win the Read A
Book Day race in South Park Rally.
I can't get enough chickens before
everyone else, and if I am going well
someone always bumps into me and
steals the chickens I do have. Please help
- this is driving me to distraction.

Burt Busby, Birmingtiam

HThe simplest solution to this
problem is to camp by the drop
off area until another racer appears
with some chickens. Ram them so
that you steal their chickens and then

drive the short distance to the drop
off area. Keep doing this until you
have ten chickens in the drop off
zone - it should take hardly any
time at all.

IN THE CLUB

Hl'm playing the utterly wonderful
Grim Fandango but I'm stuck. Why
the hell won't Glottis leave the club? I've
tried everything, even using the magnet
to fix the roulette table to get the place
shut down, but still nothing happens.
What am I doing wrong?

Matthew Price, Parkstone

□ You're on the right track
Matthew. Go up to your office,
and use the desk to look at the
roulette tables. When the red light is
on for the right-hand wheel, use the
magnet then. Began shuts the place
down, Glottis gets off his fat arse
and you can get on your way.

DIRTY CASH

Hl'm playing Planescape: Torment but I
end up skint all the time. I've heard
there's a way to get more money, so could
you please tell me how to do this?

Red Boy, email

0No problem. You need to find the
Smouldering Corpse Bar. Go and
see Moachi on the eastern side of the
bar. Keep telling her that she is not a
dustie and then ask for some money.
She gives you 50 pieces of gold.
Repeat this as often as you like and
you can build up some useful reserves.

ON THE EDGE

Hl'm playing Trespasseran6 have
made it to the jungle of death. I've
avoided the T-Rex and now find myself
trying to climb up a rocky gorge. The
frouble is there doesn't seem to be
enough ledges to make it all the way to
the top. I try jumping to one ledge in
particular and I just miss it and plummet
to the bottom of the cliff. What's going on?
Please, please help me!

Flannel Feet, email

□ There's no denying it - those
rocks are a total pain in the arse -
but it is possible to reach each and
every one of the ledges. Occasionally
you need to use indentations in the
rock face to line yourself up for a
ledge, but that aside it's a case of
crossing back and forth to slowly
woric your way up to the top.

AUG2000#92PCZONE 119

■MnnnHITLnTl messuh wiLKTHiouiiii

WALKTHROUGH

Keith Pullirfs no longer in a flap with the Messiah,..

O REVIEWED PCZ #85 SCORE 85%

Use this walkthrough in
conjunction with the
cheats printed in PCZ
#91 and you should
complete the game
quicker than you can say 'Daddy
Pimp'. So dig 'em out and let's
wing it...

SHIPPING SECTOR

Walk up the ramp, destroy the box
near the welder and go through
the door. Stay on that level, walk
around the bend to the Navigation
Control room and possess the
scientist behind the pillar. Activate
the small console and some cops
run in from gate four to kill the
other scientist. Exit the room,
head upstairs and go through the
restricted access door. Unlock
gate four with the remote console.
Go through gate four, pick up the
machine gun and jump over the

lasers. Kill the soldier at the top of
the stairs, jump from the ledge,
dispossess and float to the ledges
on the left. Climb up the wall and
then float down into the fan room.
Press the button to make the third
fan from the left go up two levels.
Go to the second fan from the left,
and move it up once. Jump onto
the lowest fan and then fly up
from fan to fan, until you reach
the control room.

Possess a radiation worker
and activate all the consoles in
the room. Go down in the elevator
and through the exit. Possess the
welder and then the commander
behind the glass. Unlock gate
three with the remote console.
Head back to gate two, picking up
a weapon on the way. Go through
gate two and kill the Chots. Kill
the guy with the speargun by
strafing left and right. Finally, kill

the guy on the crate with any of
the long-range weapons found in
this room. Head through gate one
to finish the level.

O Manoeuvre the fans into ttiis
formation and fly to tlie top.

O Prepare for a major gunfight
and lots of hopping between
bodies.

Only a welder has authorisation to pass by these heavy cops. '

120 PCZONE#92AUG2000

The only way to possess this guy is to get up high and leap sh-aight
into his shoulder blades.

OLD TOWN

Use the sentry gun on the roof to
shoot the laser wall to the left. Go
through here to end up in a room
with some mashers. Climb onto
the left ledge and crawl under the
lasers. Press the switch to cause
the floor to open and the scientist
to drop into the masher. Repeat
this twice more until the masher
is full. Use the lower panel to
make a large barrel move onto
the floor near the incinerator
door. Jump onto the barrel (keep
flapping your wings) and then
onto the ledge left of the
incinerator door. Unlock the
door and go through.

G Bob finds the only way into the
scientists' booth.

Use the barrels to jump onto
the ledge. You now need to jump
and flap your wings to reach the
next ledge over by the door. Keep
doing this all the way to the top.
When you've reached the top, kill
everyone in the next room, use
the lift to go up to the middle
platform, open the door and then
possess the rat. Go through the
tunnels and over the little lava
maze. Keep going until you reach
a cop versus Chot running battle.

Go right and break the glass in the
cop area. Deactivate the laser
wall. Run to the Chot side, go up
the stairs, use the barrel to jump
into the room behind the plasma
shield and activate the lift. Go
back outside and go up in the lift.
Shoot the box on the ledge in the
next room and go through the
opening. Shoot the grate and then
shatter the windows to drop
safely onto the walkway below.

O Use the bones to cross when
the lava flow wanes.

Go through the window near
where the woman is showering.
Possess the commander. Go
through the door into the room
with three other commanders and
take the door on the right back
up to the room where you shot
the box on the ledge. Activate
the console on the right for a
companion bot. Go back down to
the commander room, go up the
stairs and out the door. As the
commander, kill all the Chots. Go
through the gate, and jump in the
sentry gun. Destroy the platforms
on the building in the distance;
this deactivates the nearest laser
wall. Go into the next room and
operate the panel on the right.

MESSIUHWUKTIIROUGII

Go through the gate directly ahead
and work your way along until you
reach a green panel on the floor.
Possess a cop and stand on this
panel for clearance. Jump in the
lift to go up. When it breaks down,
go through the gap and possess
the welder. Go underneath the lift
and fix it, get back in and go up.

Exit the lift, turn left and go up
the stairs into the sewer. Keep
going until you enter a room with
a thin walkway. Go right. When
you reach the pistons, use Bob
to fly across from one piston to
the next to the other side of the
broken walkway. Keep going to
find a yellow laser door blocked
by a body, crawl into the room.
Possess a Chot and operate the
computer to restore power. Head
back to the garages and the main
circular room. Find the door under
the stairs. Go through here to find
the beast. Possess the beast, exit
the room, go up the stairs, turn
left and continue to the cop with
the bazooka. Kill him, unlock the
door and crawl under. You're in
the circular room again. Go
through the garage to the left of
the hall. Go to the wiggly red laser
wall. Shoot the box in the room to
disable the lasers. Go into the
room and ascend in the lift.

You're now in the laboratory.
Possess a scientist, use the
console that is flashing, then
open the main laboratory door.
The behemoth crashes through.
Lead him towards some people,
then when he's occupied leap
high into his back or head to
possess him. Stand on the
pressure plate to end the level.

WAREHOUSE/
ANNEX

Walk through the first garage, into
the second and head for the
control panel in the small room.
Operate both consoles. Leave
the room and enter the left door.
Ascend the lift on the right side of
the room. Activate the switch. Kill
the 'arresting officers' and go
back down. Walk to the other lift
and go up. In the next room, go
up again. Jump into a welder and
operate the rad-bot panel. Go
back down to the floor below and
use the rad-bot panel there. Now
get in the lift and drop two floors
to the basement. Use the rad-bot
panel here too. Enter the door
labelled 'B.S.' and go down. Use a
rad-worker to start the core and
then go through the 'Annex' door
up in the tank garage.

G Operate this panel to get things

O Take out the distant platforms
with the gun turret

Turn right, follow the left wall,
go up the stairs into the room and
use the panel. Exit the room and
follow the left wall until you reach
a hole. Take a wort<er down there
and operate the switch. Move Bob
back to the top of the stairs, run
along the pipe sticking out and
jump onto the other pipe. Walk
along dodging the flames, bear
round to the left and go through
the big door at the end. Fly over
the flames and possess the Chot.
Take out the cops on the other
side. Jump down to the bottom
and go to the panel on the left.
Activate this and wait until the
ledges are in position for you to
jump/fly to the exit. Climb the
boxes and head to where you
first came into the annex and
open the door down the alley.

G Careful timing is
avoid the flames.

CONVEYOR

Go through the door with the face.
Possess a cop on the bridge, kill
the other one and activate the
panel. Jump onto the pipes, then
onto the moving platforms, and
then up to the conveyor belt.
Jump the lasers using the boxes,
then climb onto the ledge on the
left and go up in the lift. Press
the red discharge switch, then the
green door panel. Go down in
the lift, jump to the next platform
and press the switch there.

G Discharging the reactor kills
the two cops waiting on the
opposite ledge.

WEAPONS
FACTORY

Possess a scientist and use the
panel by the big screen. Enter
the door next to it and possess
the cop. Turn left and go through
the door at the end of the corridor.
Use the panel next to the huge
sentry gun. Jump off the ledge
and operate the panel below.
Enter the door. Use the console
on the left, then the one below
that to manufacture the maser.
Take the lift up. Get out and then
take the lift that is immediately
on your right straight down
to the basement. O

UIEHOUSE/ANNEX

Activate the Rad-bot in the basement and then run like hell back to the
'Annex' door.

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The only way to destroy an Armoured Behemotti is with the maser gun.

Keep going up after the platforms.

lll^i1irH!lii1Mi!]r^i

Most of the cops here can be taken out with a bit of careful sniping.

9 Walk light until the cut-scene.
Drop the maser, dispossess
the scientist and fly down to the
door on the right below the
lowered bridge. Go through to
reach a relatively straightforward
rotating platform jump section.
Go through the door at the end
and reactivate the bridge. Bring
your maser back here to charge
it up. Go back across the bridge
and take the lift up.

G Duck under the bullets when
the sentry gun goes haywire.

You are back near the start by
the big screen. Go up the stairs,
through the door and into the
'exit'. Head downstairs, and out
the door on the left. In the next
room take the lift on the left up.
Dash to the end of the hallway,
hit the switch and go through the
huge door by the two cops. Blast
the Armoured Behemoth with
the maser. Run straight down
the tunnel. Take out another four
A.Bs. Go through the next door
and into another jumping area.
At the end of this section jump
through the large open door.
Go through the next door, then
the next, and possess the worker.
Activate the terminals and go
back out the two doors and
through the next large door
on your left.

O Use the trucks and other
objects as cover when taking
out the Annoured Behemottts.

WASTE PLANT

Ride the platforms, and go into
the second opening. Go over to
the ledge opposite. Jump to the
right and glide. Turn right and
keep gliding all the way to the
opening below the laser wall.

Jump onto the moving
machinery and leap from platform
to platform until you work your
way up to a rad-worker. Possess
him and go through the nearby
door. Go up the lift. In the next
room possess the commander
behind the truck, activate the
console and then get in the
truck and drive.

RED LIGHT
DISTRICT

Go left. Eliminate the two cops
and the sub-girl. Jump onto the
ledge. Leap/fly over the yellow
lasers and when you reach the
mashers hang from the edge of
the left ledge and pass beneath
them. Pull yourself up, jump
some more lasers, and get
onto solid ground.

After the slut, try out the dancer.

O At last - we reach the annoying
rotating platform section...

G Shimmy under the mashers.

Possess the cop and kill
everyone in the vicinity. Climb
the stairs, go past the condemned
door, and kill all the cops up to the
barricade. Return to the stairs
and go up another level. Enter
the door and go around the
corner to the last peep show
booth. Go inside and possess
the dweller. Now go through the
door beyond the barricade. After
decontamination head past the
sub-girls, go down the stairs at
the end of the road and enter
the door on the left.

Flick the switch at the bottom
of the room. Take the lift up to the
highest level and jump on top of
the centre column. Jump from
that onto the next floor and
possess the rat to go through
the tunnel. When you emerge,
possess the remaining sub-girl,
open the bars, throw her over
the edge and enter the door.
Possess the pimp, get his VIP
number from his safe and
activate the video console.

G Take the VIP password from
the safe and then activate the
video console.

CLUB PERIMETER

Use the panel to confirm your VIP
number. After the cut-scene go
through the gap on the left and
possess the welder. Use the
panel, dispossess and fly over to
the next panel. Activate that, and
then get through the door before
it shuts. Turn left to face the
moving platforms. Jump across
these, and then crawl through
the tunnel on the right side of
the bridge where the cop is.
Fall through the floor, activate the
switch and crawl back through
the tunnel. Use the fans and
platforms to work your way
towards the lift at the end.

G Remember to flap those wings
to jump further.

Jump onto its roof. Turn left
and when you see the broken
entrance fly through. Edge your
way in until you find the green
hand switch. Press it, then
possess the cripple. Quickly crawl
over and press the panel twice.
Enter the lift and possess the
guy inside. Leave the lift and
disarm when the console tells
you to get into the club.

G Nip through the broken gate
to reach the club.

122 PCZONE#92AUG2000

MESSUHWMKTHMNGI

CLUB KYD

Go through the curtains to the
green door. Possess the slut
employee and go through the red
door. Go upstairs and straight
through the curtains.

you. When they've been
eliminated, go through the big
central door and kill the A.B.
and the maser scientist within.
Enter the next door and use the
scientist to operate the panel
and enter the teleporter.

O Get into the slut to go fuiHier.

Possess the table dancer,
pass through middle curtain,
go upstairs, through another set
of curtains and enter the dance
contest. When you're done
showing off, go up the lift, pass
through two more curtains,
possess the commander and
enter the door to end the level.

G Oh, what a night!

MILITARY ZONE

Jump left off the starting
platform. Kill/possess the cops,
and enter the door with the yellow
target on it. Activate the small
panel on the left, then possess
the commander. Go back up
where she came from. Use the
gun turret to kill everything.
Once done, enter the next target
door. Continue into the red room
and possess a rat. Crawl into
the tunnel, take the first left and
keep going until you're picked
up by a bird. Once dropped off,
dispossess the rat and operate
one of the red panels on the
side of the room to activate an
Armoured Behemoth. Possess it
and go out the door, through the
target doors and get stuck into
the numerous soldiers waiting for

O Use the turret to go banistic.

You might want to watch out for those maser guns...

O Jump in the
you're outta there.

CRYO

Use all the X-24 panels in the
start room. Go through the door
opposite and use one in there
too. Go through the door with
the bloody pentagram on it and
go into the teleporter.

Run around the valves to confuse
Satan, then possess him high up
the back when he takes a break.

More teleporting action from little Bob.

G Follow the pentagram to
find Satan.

OUTPOST

Jump to the island. Possess a
cop and kill another cop to get
his gun. Possess a worker and
pick up a gun. Go and turn all
the valves off. Possess Satan
when he takes a breather.
Game over. [k3

Jump the rings of fire, avoid the evil Bobs and turn the valves. Easy.

enemies

rf Find them at gameplay. You*ll get all the

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nm!mTIl THIEF II: TIE METU UE WHLKIHROVGH - MRT TWO

THE METAL AGE

WALKTHROUGH - PART TWO

Martin Korda is your guide for tlie second part of our adventurous Tft/ef //wallctlirougli

O REVIEWED PCZm SCORE 82%

In the T^ace the Courier mission, keep well back and In the shadows, so that Mosley doesn't spot you.

TRACE THE
COURIER

Follow Mosley, alv;ays keeping a
good distance between you. Pick
the pockets of anyone you pass.
When you get to the ramp, make
sure you have walked past it
before the guard returns to his
station. When Mosley heads left
across the canal's plaza, use the
stalls to your left to keep out of
sight. At the bridge, hide in the
gap until the guard passes. Then
cross over the bridge and walk
along the street, which runs next
to the canal. Keep following
Mosley and you'll see her drop a
note. Once she's out of sight, read
the note and put it back where
you found it.

Follow Mosley again. Take a
right then a left. Face the canal.
You should soon hear the Pagan
approaching. Follow him until you
get to the graveyard, where he
will pause. Wait in the darkness,
by the intersection. Watch as the
Pagan runs. Go through the
archway to the south. Go right,
then left. At the street light go left,
then right at the intersection. Go
left twice, then right down a small
slope until you get to a wall with a
fence on it and three grey stones.
Get on it and activate the lever
which is the top left torch.

Get into the tomb and open the
double doors. Go to the graveyard.
Follow the Pagan's blood trail.
Open the double doors and steal
whatever you find. Follow the

blood trail again. Open the doors
of the tomb where it stops and
crawl through the portal.

TRAIL OF BLOOD

Follow the trail of blood. Go into
the hut and listen. Head for the
stream. Search the Mechanist's
body. Swim across the stream.
Go round to the back of the hut.
Go into the hut and search. Cross
the bridge and follow the blood
trail. After the garden, go south,
round to the back of the house
and head east. Go into the hut.
Climb the ladder, search and then
go back down. Go into another
room and look around. Go east
to another hut. Get to the right
side of the bridge and go in the
water and swim west. Climb out
at the bridge.

Follow the blood trail again. Go
into the hut with the lights on and
take whatever you find. Leave the
hut and go east. Go to the guard
near the torch and knock him out.
Head north, until you come across
three torches. Go east through the
trees, then north. Get into the
building, where you'll find some
eye sockets. Put the rubies into
them. Then get into the mouth.

Follow the blood trail. You
should come across four pools,
search them. Go towards the
purple light. Follow the stream
until you get to a dead body. Go
down the nearby tunnel. Keep
following the blood trail. Take the
opening to your left. Head west

124 PCZONE#92AUG2000

THIEF II: THE METUIIGEWIILmOUGH -

PUT TWO n!l(lM??!i!Sffll

-4(1 li^

down the slope, take whatever
you find and then go back up the
slope. Follow the blood trail. When
the path divides into three, go
west. Take the blue crystals and
follow the trail to a guarded
entrance. Go west and follow the
tunnel. Hug the south wall as you
walk along the cliff. Grab the blue
crystal, go back to the guarded
entrance and kill the beasts.

Walk over the bridge. Shoot
a vine arrow into the stones
overhead and climb up. Read
Mosley's letter and head south.
Get the diamonds, using the tree
hollow as a hiding place. Ascend
the stairs. Get the apples and
Mosley's letter. There's a ring
among the bones. Leave the
room and go down the hallway.
Turn left and walk down the
slope, taking out the beast as you
go. Go back up and head back
down the hallway. When it's safe
to do so, re-enter the room and
go through the south door.

When the path splits go west.
Enter the room and just take

everything you can find. Get into
the icy room and find Mosley's
letter. Go through the right-hand
exit. Climb down the rope and
follow the tunnel. Take the
diamond from the stone, go north-
west and get two more diamonds.
Go south around the middle tree
and pick up another diamond. Go
back to where you found the first
diamond. Find the other gem near
the narrow path and then come
back here. Climb up the rope and
into the icy room with two exits.
Go west and use your sword to
get past the ice. Follow the trail of
blood. Go through the log and find
the Pagan's dead body.

LIFE OF THE
PARTY

Get out of the tower from the west
side. Get on the roof and jump on
the ledge. Go north, jump down
and on the ledge and head west
to an open window. Go in and
steal what you find. Go to the roof
opposite the bell tower. Climb up
and walk across the pipe on the

the roof. Climb up, then
jump down. Head west, take the
ladder down. Go through the
window on the ledge and steal the
vase. Follow the guard through the
door. Go upstairs. Use a vine arrow
to get onto the beam. Head east,
turn left and go into the opening.
Knock down the obstacles, go
into the room. Head left. Use the
telescope to open the secret door.
Loot the secret room. Move two
crates, go through the opening.
Descend the ladder. Head up the

The scouting orb is a
highly useful tool to have.

stairs, take the
west door. Go to the roof
and up the stairs. Get to the next
roof. Fire a water arrow down the
chimney. Go down the ladder and
steal everything of value. Go back
up the chimney and head back to
the other rooftop. Get back in the
room with the telescope. Jump
down into the hallway. Head up
the stairs. Climb up, get through
the window and jump down. Head
south, then west.

Go west from the guards and
down the ladder. Turn right at the

At the start of Precious Cargo, go to
the drill and head right.

bottom of the stairs. Get to the
alley. Climb the wall. Get up the
red wall. Take the key off the
guard, use it on the door to the
west. Get to the roof and find the
fire escape. Go down to the third
floor, loot the apartment and head
down to the ground floor.

Get to the Necromancer's
Spire. Take the lift. Use the
highlighted book. Once on the
top floor, jump from the window
to the ledge. Go up the stairs
and out the north window onto
the ledge. Get in through other
windows and steal what you
find. Go to the roof. Go inside the
greenhouse. Get to the armoury
in the house. Blow the door.
Steal the key from the guard in
the foyer and use it to get into
Tuttleshank's office. Go to the
roof. Get through the door near
the angel. Find the voice
machines and activate all of
them. While doing this, loot as
much as you can. Once you've
completed the objectives, climb
into the bell tower.

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prMliniiimTTl thief ll: the METU XGE WlLKTmiOUtll - PUIT TWO

The Kidnap mission has absolutely nothing to do with children or sleeping.

In Casing the Joint, you need to take out that guard to get into the building.

» PRECIOUS CARGO

Walk past the drill and search the
hut. Climb the three rocks and
get across the ropes. Crawl into
the tunnel and follow it. Push the
switches up. Go to the lighthouse.
Head through the north opening
near the well. Go inside the
building to the west. Burgle the
house. There's a switch under
the crates. Descend the stairs
that lead to the lighthouse. Get
the key from the priest.

Get to the Cetus Amicus and
search it. Swim under the dock
and into the passage. Get the key
from the guard. Go back to the
boat. Loot the ship. Swim under
the dock and head left and through
the hole. Get the scroll. Swim to
the blocked tunnel. Remove the
blockade. Swim to Captain
Markham's ship and loot it. Find
the room with the lockers. Loot
them and the room. Make sure you
pick up the key for Cargo Locker

No 5. To get to Cargo Locker No 5,
go through the engine room. Then
use the key on the lock and go in.

KIDNAP

Go up and then right. Move the
barrels and enter the hall. Loot all
the rooms. Go upstairs and get
the key from the guard. Loot all
the rooms. Use the key on the
grey door south of the hall. Go
downstairs and search all of the
rooms. Hit the switch on the right
to get into the Lost City. Go in.

Head up the slope to sites one,
two and six. Get rid of and rob the
guards. Go to site seven and take
out or distract the guards. Search
and loot the area. On the path to
sites one, two and six, take the left
tunnel. Find the scripture. Search
all the rooms, then go to the ruins.
By the lava pools, find a machine
which ticks.

Find site five and loot it. Then
go upstairs to Cavador's room,

knock him out and steal his key.
Get his diary from his room. Pick
up Cavador and escape with him
without being spotted.

CASING THE
JOINT

Get out of the water and head
west. Throw the switch on the
mansion wall. In the room with
the tapestry and desk, throw
the switch behind the tapestry.
Put the switches to their off
positions. Slash another tapestry
to find another switch. Loot the
rooms as you go.

Now get to the second floor.
Throw the switch on the left
side of one of the arches. In
the trophy room, put the
switches into their off positions.
Go onto the balcony and get to
the end of it. Get the cuckoo
from the tool box. In a room
near the ballroom, use the
levers to deactivate the alarm

systems. Now go to the library
through the secret passage way
which opens when you press a
switch low down on the wall of
another nearby room.

Find and read the three books
about the librarian and his helper's
wife. Read the book near the fire.
Then check the T, N, Y and P
sections. Find the book in the P
section which opens the secret
passage. Go to the library's second
floor and steal all the gold you find.
Go back to the first floor and into
the hallway. Put the cuckoo into
the clock and set it to 1 2 o'clock.
Make sure that you map half of
the mansion. Once you've done
that, go to the main hall, pick open
the main doors and go outside.

MASKS

Go back the way you went in
the last mission to get to the
clock outside the library, looting
as you go. Set the clock's hands

to 12 o'clock again. Walk through
the secret panel and then up
the stairs.

After getting past the guards,
go up to the next level. Pick open
the double doors and steal
everything you find. In the
security office, put all four of the
switches into their off positions.
Use the beams to guide you to
the green room. Take the masks.
Now head for the alarm room.
Set the switch to its on position.
Unlock the switch and set it to off.
Go to the red room and get three
more masks. Head back to the
alarm room. Set the south-west
switch to the off setting. Go to the
blue rooms and get the masks.

Find and pick open the locked
double doors. Pick up the
cultivator. Then go back to the
library. There's a switch behind the
stand. Go through the passage it
opens. Pick open the locked doors
as you go. Loot every room as

You'll have to use many machines in the final mission Sabotage and Soulforge.

There's plenty of retracing your steps from the last mission in Masks.

126 PCZONE#92AUG2000

THIEF II: M MntL AGE WUKTIINUGII - PMIT TWO

you move through the mansion.
When you get to the main hall,
pick open the door and leave.

SABOTAGE AND
SOULFORGE

Go to the wall with the three
banners hanging oft it. Keep
looking above you, and when you
see a grating, fire a vine arrow
into it and pull yourself up. Follow
the ledge, jump down near the
pillars and then loot all the rooms
nearby. Go to the plans room and
read the note on the desk. Open
the seven safes.

Head for the storerooms. Go
left in the circular room, and head
left when you get to the three
banners. Climb the ladder next to
the machine. Drop a signal bolt
into it. Get the first stage piece.
Use the machine in the next room,
put the quicklime and iron chassis
into it and throw the switch four
times. Go to the room with the
banners. Go south to some gears.
Take out the robots. Now get to
the rolling machine. Put the i

phase one piece into it, press
the button, then get the stage
two piece.

Return to the room with
three banners again, then go
to the room with three arches.
When you get to the pool of
water, swim down to the bottom
until it's clear to emerge. Use the
red button on the linking machine.
Grab the regulating round. On the
other side of the room is another
machine, put the phase two piece
in it along with a mine bulb and
a steel plate. This will make the
stage three piece.

Find the fountain and head for
Bay E. Go up the ladder. Nearby is
the machine you need to make
your guiding beacon. Put the
stage three piece into it to do
so. Exit west, then ttorth. Walk
through the double doors. After
the arches, follow the ledge and
drop down. Head east, following
the corridor. Cross the courtyard,
go through the door. Take the lift
up. Go through the metal door.
Climb the ladder. Put the switch
to the B setting. Go north, then
west and west again at the
junction. Get to the room with
flashing lights. Head north. Go
through the stamping machine
and go north again. Climb the
ladder. Slide down the shoot and
go up the lift. Put the lever to B.
Get through the fire room quickly.

Loot the barracks, then get up the
ladder and follow the first pipe.

Go to the antenna and put the
switch to B. Go to the room where
there are several panels. Distract
or destroy all of the robots. Make
sure that both gates are up. Go
north through the gates and up
the lift. Go up the other lift and
use the lever. Return to the room
with the water tank. Go north
through the room with the pipes.
Find the room with the turrets.
Shoot the button with an arrow.
Go into the green room. When
you come to an explosive device,
set it off with a fire arrow, and
stand well back. Pull the nearby
red lever, then jump down to the
floor from the ledge you get on
from the catwalk. Hit the switch
near the antenna. Run past the
barracks, head south and then

O You won't last long against these
guys. So make sure you avoid them.

north at the junction. Lockpick
the double doors. Go to the
stairs then use the lift to take
you down.

Head west, then left and up
the slope. Hit the red switch.
Go down the slope and head
North. Go to the water and find
the tunnel. Swim through it. When
you surface, climb up the ladder.
Hit the switch. Go through the
hole and walk east. Climb up the
ladder. Walk past the conveyor
belt. Use the switch to turn off the
alarm system. Go up the ladder,
flick the switch, then go to Bay A.
Now you want to head back out
of this place. Retrace your steps
to the three large banners, and
turn left, then right into bay A.
Go south until you reach the
double doors, walk through, and
if you've completed all of your
objectives you should have
finished the game. \^

Use moss arrows to cushion your steps over noisy surfaces.

Even though guards can't see you in the dark, they can still hear you moving.

AU62000#92PCZONE 127

It's now completely unsafe to
turn off your computer.

Go on, switch it off at the plug.
See if we bloody care.

What the shutdown screen
should say.

iMnnsmsTTiraiiftp

DEARWANDY

Once again we attempt to solve all your problems with PCZONEs unique
blend of skill, technical expertise, and good old fashioned bluffing

O MEDIC Phil Wand

COME IN. SIT DOWN

YETH TO ATHLON?

Send us a query or a top tip ril I'm a bit confused by all the

and you could pocket £50. ^ ^'^^^^^^'^ °" ^«

market these days. You seem

Share your techle or gaming- use the new generation AMD

related problems with us, and y^^^iop processors, and I've seen

we, in turn, may well share it gtats which show that the Pentium

with thousands of readers equivalent is slower than the AMD.

via these very pages in a big g^t on most 3D cards it says the

communal love-in type of thing, pg^d requires a genuine' Pentium

And as an extra incenthre, processor to run. Is this a problem

If we think it's an amazing tip y^n^ AMD chips? Do you need

or interesting query, we'll offer patches for your games/3D card

you a cool £50. No, really. for ttiem to run on AMD CPUs?
Send in as much relevant ^Iso, I've been looking at new

PCs on the Net, and have found

WRlTETODMr Wan^^^ """ that Dell is selling 1 GHz Pentium

PC ZONE, 19 Boisover Street, Ills - but one Of my mates said

London wi P 7HJ that Intel had given up trying to

iiiii7r;^;;vo":;n7sTo;;'a; ^^^^ p^""""^ '"^^ ^ ^

letters.pczone@dennls.co.uk with Chip because of some sort of

the subject heading Dear Wandy limitations. Is this true? The last

Ptea'ie"wteri^"rie we" w"n" Athlon CPU I saw that was 1 GHz

assure you that we read '^^^ ^ ^iant fan unit bolted to it, do

eirery techie query sent to us, V^" ^h*"^ these gig Pentiums

we are unable to offer personal ^^"'^ ^"^^ •
replies. Also, please do not Pnestley

phone, as you're unlikely to R ^« ^"^^^ ^""^

it»ch someone who can help. ^ ^one a bit mad recently,

^j^l^g There's nothing like a bit of

!. healthy competition to get

things moving, with the recent
burst brought about by AMD
producing the mighty Athlon.
It's a truly wonderful

processor, and compared to the
original Intel Pentium III, it's
both faster and a whole lot
cheaper (who said you can't
have your cake and eat it, eh?).
The race was then on to the
1 GHz goal - a race which
AMD narrowly won.

Only a few months ago,
Kryotech came out with its
SuperG system: an AMD Athlon
800 machine running at 1 GHz
with the aid of a fridge inside
the casa No, we're not kidding,
see www.kryotech.com.

This Isn't the way it'll
always be though. The faster
you run a chip, the more heat it
generates, so to get around this
you make the chip smaller,
because you can then run it
with a lower voltage. Intel and
AMD have improved on their
original chips: they both run on
lower power drain and can
thus be cooled without having
a bottle of liquid nitrogen
bolted to the case. Indeed,
Intel's new Pentium III (called
the Coppermine) actually has a
slight performance advantage
over the Athlon due to its L2
cache running at full processor
speed (the Athlon's cache runs
at 350MHz and below).

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Mai Prrt EcM Discuss

Address |ej /m^w krvotecu cc*n/

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Tt}0 Home of Coot Cu::

Supe;

KryoTech is making the Athlon
In town.

KryoTech^** has unleashed Ac uhanate m
desktop systems The SuperG®
Running at a vciy cool 1 ,OOOMHzl
Usmg the AMD® Athlon^** chilled out
to -40*^^. we have raised the standard m
processor speed Who has time to wait
for Megahertz? Welcome to the Gig!

Visit our N««« pjg* foi th« Ut«it infonn«tion on
Cool Computtng^

the coolest chip

high performance

1 BiUion Cycles Per
Second '

<t* k bM VMWMl vrtlh kSAMt fivksv 4 « b«lis Hot tU cf Ihi
UB4CKn'( nd «dv«K«4 it«ac« n tvuMk t> AOL cf Nrt«<9« umk

As for drivers and the like,
an AMD chip is actually better
behaved than a lot of people
tend to think. One of the worid's
largest and perhaps the most
trusted PC maker, Compaq,
uses AMD Athlons in its flagship
products. 'Nuff said.

PLEASE
SHUTDOWN

HWhen I try to shut down
Windows 98 on my
computer, it never gets as far as
the It's Now Safe To Turn Off Your
Computer' screen and instead
gets stuck at the 'Windows Is
Shutting Down' screen. I've seen
this on other computers and was
wondering how to go about fixing
it. I remember that before this
problem came along, you could
hear the hard drive wind down as
it showed the aforementioned
screen, but now I just have to
turn the power off while it's still
whirring away. Is this something I
should be worried about, and if so
could you please tell me how to
fix it. I realise that this could be
more complicated than it
appears, but if you could point
me in the right direction I would
be very grateful.

Daniel Caddy

QWhen you ask Windows to
shut down, it goes through
all the programs and drivers
that are currently loaded in
memory and tells them it's time
for bed. It then waits for the
programs and drivers to
confirm that they've finished,
saving off anything they might
have In memory. Once every
program and driver has been
ghren a thumbs up, Windows
completes the shut down.

Only trouble is, it
sometimes doesn't work, and
often there's no obvious way
to fix it. You could go through
your hardware list, disabling

Keep your Athlon cool with Kyrotech.)

different devices until
Windows reboots smoothly
and without coughing, but
we've been down that road at
least twice before and it's far
too much aggravation.

Visit windowsupdate.
microsoft.com and make sure
you have the latest version of
Windows installed. Microsoft
actually lists the shutdown
grief as a bug, and has
released a patch to fix it
We've updated our system
and... it still does it. You
may have better luck.

GREEN FOREVER?

rri I've been trying to get my
LLi dad to upgrade our PC for
a while now, but the thing is our
motherboard is a Soyo 5XA
(Socket 7) with a 66MHz bus
speed. I can't find any CPUs
around that can be supported
by our motherboard that will be
significantly faster than our
crappy P166 MMX. So I looked
into getting an upgrade chip from
Evergreen Technologies. It claims
to speed up a CPU of 75MHz or
above to 400MHz. There are a
few things I'm not sure about,
though: 1 ) How does it work? 2)
What will the CPU's performance
be like compared to a PII/III/AMD
K6-2/K6-3 processor of the same
speed? 3) Is it worth buying?

Andy Best

□ The Evergreen upgrades
woric by putting a fast
processor on top of a little
circuit board, which then
plugs into the old CPU socket
on your motherboard. The little
circuit board basically provides
an interface between your
slow mothertioard and the
fast processor.

They can be quite useful,
but an old machine with an
'upgrade chip' like this will
never be as fast as a machine
with a motherboard designed
for a 400MHz chip.

Is It worth buying? Well,
that really depends on the
rest of your machine and your
technical ability. You could

O Do not be afraid of the Athlon.

128 PCZONE#92AU6200Q

nCH HELP ^^Mffl^ffl

buy a new motherboard and
something like an AMD K6-2-
500 for less than the cost of the
upgrade, but then you'd have to
fit it - if you've not done it
before, you could be in for a
real headache.

DIGITAL WORLD

Hl'm writing concerning
all the technological
advancements in the PC industry.
Everywhere I turn there seems to
be faster processors, faster CD-
ROMS, better graphics cards,
sound cards and bigger hard
drives being churned out.
However, there is not much
advancement with modems. Can
you shed some light on this
matter? Has the modem as we

bridges the gap (although
'modem speak' sounds more
like pigs in a microwave).

The new technologies such
as ADSL, Cable Modems - even
ISDN that BT Is still desperately
trying to sell to home users -
keep the signal digital all the
way from your machine to the
destination. They're also a tot
faster. So along with punch
cards, Telex and dot matrix
printers, the analog modem is
not long for this worid.

GO GO GRAPHICS

HI recently read the article in
DearWandyon the SiS 6326,
I also have one of these cards as
the primary card in my computer.
Reading your article got me

^Everywhere I turn there seems to be
faster processors, faster CD-ROMS, better
graphics cards, sound cards and bigger
hard drives being churned out^

HEEGO, TRYING HIS BEST TO KEEP UP WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY

know it 'hit a technological wall'
whereby it cannot advance any
more? I am confused, as so-
called experts claim the Internet
is worth billions - and how can
we join the gold rush without a
decent and advanced modem?
The hype is about DVD, but what
about good old modems?

Heego

□ Yes, 56K is a technological
wall. Then again we've had
a fair few of those - we recall
being told that 1,200 baud
really was as fast as you could
go. Then 1 4,400, then 28,800
and so on. Having said that,
we can't honestly see modems
ever going much above 56Kbps.
Most of us will testify that they
straggle above 48Kbps because
of the ageing copper wire that
BT rents to us each month.

But fear not New
technologies are here, and are
taking over. The old modem
idea was to have a modem on
your machine and a modem on
the destination machine - an
audio signal no different to
normal voice communication

worried, as I want to have cutting
edge technology - and what I
have is obviously not 'it'. My
secondary card is a Voodoo2
by the way If I was to upgrade
to a GeForce256 64Mb, could I
also plug something like a
RivaTNT2 into my motherboard
as my primary card? I hope
you can help.

AlexAvery
I These days the idea of a
1 primary and secondary
card has pretty much gone out
window. All the modem 3D
accelerator cards are more
than capable of providing the
20 graphics required for boring
Windows desktop stuft So,
basically, you don't need a
standard primary card
anymore, and in the case of the
GeForce and the TNT2, they're
both capable of performing
the 20 and 3D functions
required. Obviously as the
GeForce256 is the newer card
in NVIDlA's range, it's also
faster - but can you stretch to a
GeForce2 GTS? If you want 'it',
that's ihe' card to have.

I I I I I
I I I I

I I I

I II I I I
II II I

I I
I I

I I

nil

I I

MORE RAM LESS
SPEED

01 have a 700MHz Athlon with
256Mb of RAM, Sound
Blaster Live! Platinum and a RIVA
TNT2 Ultra graphics card. I built it
myself and have had no problems
so far. However, when I ran 3D-
Mari< when I had 128Mb of RAM, I
got a higher score (6,345) than
when I have 256Mb of RAM in
(5,679). Why is this?

Moby Duck, England

QThis looks like the oM
problem with some of the
Socket 7 mothertoards. Some
chipsets, including Intel's,
would only cache the first
64Mb of memory, so when you
stuffed 1 28Mb In, the second
half was ignored by the L2
cache. And guess where
Windows packs all its meat?
Yup, at the top of the memory.

Athlon boards and chipsets
are different, but the symptoms
make it sound similar. I have
had a look for something to
confirm or deny my theory, but
have drawn a blank. Can any of
our helpful readers shed any
light on this?

MODEM TO
MODEM

H Please help! A
friend and I

O The GeForce2 GTS: quicker than
a VoodooS 5500. Ho ho ho.

NehMOi1((LAN)orviathe
Intemet The Americans have
had free Intemet access for
years, so the idea that anyone
would want to connect to
each other directly is
somewhat alien to many
modem game programmers.
That said, you can still do it,
and while it's beyond the
scope of Dear Wandy, fret not:
a hugely useful tutorial
is available online at

www.ozemail.com.au/Henderby/
q2net.

To be honest, the easiest
way forward is to use a Net
connection to bridge the gap
between your two machines.
I don't know which cable
company you use, but some
of them have 24/7 access for
a fixed monthly fee (eg NIL at
www.ntl.co.uk). Altemathrely,
have a look at some of the
freebie ISPs that have
recently popped out of the
woodwork. Bookmark
net4nowt.com/unmetered
for details, [k^

Q Can you fit this
beast through
your phone line?

Are punch cards likely to make a come back? We think not.

want to know if it's
possible to dial into each
other's PC via telephone (we
both have cable which gives
us free calls after 7pm). We
both have Windows 98SE and
want to play Quake against each
other. Is this possible?

Hayley

□ This could prove a little
tricky, depending on your
familiarity with Windows.
Games that allow
multiplayer modes
are usually
designed for you to
play on a Local Area

AUG2000#92PCZONE 129

WATCHDOG

The software industry can sometimes be a closed shop when it comes to punters and their
complaints. Let PC ZOWframraid their premises for you and snatch some answers...

OWRIIiR Adam Philips

UVINGINAWORLDO'HURr?

If you've got a consumer issue
that needs addressing then
drop us a line. Please
remember that technical
issues are not covered by
Watchdog - if you've got a
techie problem, then write to
DearWandy (page 128)

WRITE TO Watchdog, PC ZONE,
Dennis PuMisMng, 19 Bolsover
Street, London W1P7HJ.

EMAIL Email us at
letters.pczone@dennis.co.uk with

the subject heading •Watchdog'.

PHONEY 4U?

My wife is in remission
from cancer, which means
we were online before it was
fashionable as 90 per cent of our
life is spent in the house and
the Net opened up a whole new
world. Money is always short, so
the free Internet access services
have really helped.

We were with Screaming.net
and had no real problems with
them, but along came what we
thought was a better offer -
4UNet which had free 0800 all-
day access. After checking there
were no catches, we changed
from Screaming.net to BT.

The lag was OK - no problems
- but we noticed random
disconnections. I checked that all
the network settings were fine
and then rang the 50p per minute
help line. I was told: "Oh, didn't
someone tell you we disconnect
every hour?" I said: "No, they
didn't." They replied: "Oh, you
must be mistaken - all our
operatives tell everyone that."

4UNet had no reply when I
enquired as to why I would move
from Screaming.net's three
hourly disconnect to a one hourly
disconnect service.

We were annoyed, but stuck
with the service. We got a timer
so we could stop fighting in on-
line games, such as EverQuest,
before 59 minutes! After all, it's
free! But there are still random
disconnections, and not just on
the hour. I had the phone line
tested and the gain increased
by BT, but this didn't help. I even
bought a new modem.

It still disconnects -
sometimes it's on for a full
hour, but mostly it's on for five
minutes/two minutes/etc and
then it disconnects. In fact,
I've had six disconnects while
writing this email!

Anyway, we had a bit of money
set aside so we had BT put in its
Home Highway dual ISDN line.
Part of this is a complete test of
your line and from 6pm at night
we can connect via ISDN with no

problems and we use the
analogue line during the day.
I've tried the likes of Virgin and
BT Internet to test the system
and the lines are stable with
no disconnects.

4UNet still profess nothing is
wrong with its system and the
last time I called, they said an
engineer would phone us back,
but hasn't so far. It really is worse
than useless, but hopefully, we
will be going onto Surftime as
soon as it comes out. Some
compensation would be nice, but I
do think we are dreaming there.

Jason and Paola Alcock
Watchdog trotted off to
4UNettoseeif itcould
offer a conclusive explanation
for the problems you have been
experiencing. Emma Swindells,
a spokesperson for the
company, says: "While we
express our sympathies with
the situation that Mr and Mrs
Alcock are experiencing, I
would like to point out that to
enjoy our free, unmetered

service, Mr Atoock agreed to
our Terms and Conditions,
virhich are cleariy detailed at
the end of our sign up process
and are also generally available
on our websita These explicitly
state in Paragraphs 4(ix) and
4(x) that we automatically
disconnect the service after
five minutes of inactivity and
at 60 minutes per session."

4UNet says the reason
for this is to provide all users
with "a first-class service -
the quality of which has been
widely recognised with many
maximum performance scores
and ratings in PC and Internet
magazines, and to prevent
abuse of the service."

While it readily accepts
you are not wilfully "abusing"
its service, it has created rules
to satisfy the majority of its
target audience, and "unless
we have such anti-abuse
procedures in place, we would
be open to wide-scale abuse
that would affect the large
majority of our existing
customer base."

4UNetsays it's sorry for
any inconvenience caused
to you, "but they have signed
up to our terms and conditions
and are merely experiencing
the consequences of those.
I would further point out
that ISDN connections are
expressly forbidden under our
Terms and Conditions."

3DFXWOES

H Earlier this year I bought
aVoodoo3 3000 AGP from
a local computer dealer. I was
looking forward to getting
home and playing the free
bundled games that were
supposed to come in the
retail package.

I found that the box had only
the card and driver CD in it. I
had heard that you were
supposed to get FIFA '99, NFS3
and Unreal wWh the card. The
latter should have come with a
coupon to allow you to trade
it in for Unreal Tournament
upon its release.

When I discovered it wasn't
there, I was very disappointed.

PAPER CHASE

Manual loading ain't much fun...

HI bought the Armageddon collection
that includes Worms Armageddon,
Addiction Pinballar\6 the WA screen saver.
Trouble is, the manuals are on a CD. I find
this very annoying because I don't want
to have to load the manual from the CD
every time I need something.

I contacted Team 1 7's support line and
was told: "Unfortunately, the collection was
designed to have the manual on a CD and
therefore we have no spare copies." This
gave me the impression that the original
had its own written manual. They then
suggested that I print off the manual.
Why should I have to print off a 53 page
document just because they felt like putting
the manual on CD? It's absolutely pathetic.
A mate of mine had the same problem
when he bought the Tycoon Collection.
They are just being slack because it's
a budget release.

Andy Best

H Watchdog contacted games indush7
veterans Team 1 7 to find out what
the situation is with CD-only manuals.

Martyn Brown, one of the top dogs at
the company, told us that it can offer
little in the way of help because the
packaging and manuals are the
publisher's responsibility, which in this
case is down to Hasbro Interactive -
who also did the Tycoon collection.

Martyn offers the following suggestion
though: "Should users feel sht)ngly
about this and other 'paper-pari' issues,
I propose they contact the publisher
directly as these decisions have very little
do with the people that actually develop
the games themsehres. On balance, I'd

also tentatively suggest ttiat it's cost-
cutting methods such as this one ttiat
allow the publishers to bundle extensive
manual, multi-title compilations at
atb^ctive prices, especially when you
look at the documentation with the
Tycoon series - the inclusion of the bound
manuals would have meant a very
prohibitive cost in building the units in
the first place and would certainly have
led to greatiy increased prices."

From a developer's point of view
though, Martyn does agree that manuals
are extremely useful: "I wrote the Wonns
Annageddon manual myself," he says,
"and have never personally been happy
with the thought that manuals should be
anything ottier ttian of the bound paper
variety - particulariy for Worms, since
it's a game where it's highly beneficial
ttiat you are aware of all its aspects."

In your case Andy, Marytii says he
will be delighted to provide you with an
original Woms Annageddon manual
signed by ttie Team 1 7 crew.

130 PCZONE#92AU62000

I emailed 3dfx and was told to
scan a picture of my receipt and
ttie sticker on the front of my box,
and send it to them. I do not have
this sticker on my box, which
leads me to believe that it has
discontinued the offer.

This leaves me with an OEM
package I paid retail price for. I do
not see why I should have to pay
an extra £40 for a retail package
that isn't anything more than an
OEM pack in a fancy green box.
What really annoys me is that
some stores are still selling
the packs with the games in it
at a cheaper price. I really wish
I'd waited now, but the damage
has been done.

Darren Maggs

□ Fret not - the bods at 3dfx
offered this explanation
for the apparent screw-up:
"Naturally we regret that Mr
Maggs has experienced an
inconsistency in the supply of
product to market from 3dfx,"
says Stuart Lester, 3dfx's
operations director. "The
bundled games were removed
from the product in late
December, combined with a
price reduction of the product,
as we repositioned it in the
marketplace. This is part of
an ongoing process aimed
at bringing the most cost
competithre offers to
consumers, and a natural phase
in the product life cycla"

when the content changed."

The bottom line is Sdfx
should have been in contact
with you by now to make sure
you're happy with the card.
And don't be surprised If it
offers you a "gesture of
goodwill" in the process, ie the
games you wanted. Bless 'em.

LACK OF INSIGHT?

SI am writing to tell you about
the extremely poor standards
of customer service I've received
from Insight (www.lnsighLcom).

Six weeks ago I was looking for a
replacement graphics card and
noticed that Insight was offering
aVoodoo3 2000AGP16Mbfor
£43.46, inc VAT. After checking its

Insight manages to Incite a reader.

performance, I immediately
ordered one - as I am a student
and on a tight budget, the offer to
upgrade to a card like this was
one I could hardly refuse.

I filled in the application form
and noted that the item was not
yet in stock - but was expected in
three days time. I then moved

^1 don't see why I should have to pay an extra
£40 for a retail package that Isn't anything
more than an OEM pack in a fancy box^

DARREN MAGGS, AIRING HIS 3DFX GRIEVANCES

3dfx says you have
unfortunately suffered from
seeing (and we quote)
"inventory still in the channel
with the bundled games, which
had moved out to the stores
more slowly than some of the
new style product, but had still
been priced down. We always
try to minimise problems like
these by closely monitoring
inventory in the channel, and
ensuring that sell-through is
maximised (ahh, what glorious
operations waffle! - Ed), We
also, as noted, ensured that the
game bundle stickers were
removed from the packaging

onto the shipping options. There
were three choices: 'Next Day'
delivery, 'Three Day' and finally -
although I forget the exact length
- delivery in about a week. I did
notice that all three were
apparently free, so obviously I
chose 'Next Day' delivery.

The following evening, I
checked the status of my order
only to find that for some reason
Insight had added £10 for delivery
charges. I duly complained, and
eventually it removed the charge.
However, the three days came and
went. It is now six weeks later and
the current date for arrival is April
28. 1 ordered the card on March 3!

I do realise that the control
of stock is often out of the
hands of the company, but I
checked at ww.dabs.com and it
has 353 of the same item in stock!
There may be a shortage, but it
can't be that bad!

I have tried asking other
companies such as Dabs and
Msquared.com if they will price
match, but to no avail. People
should be wary of such offers
especially from Insight - other
friends have had similar, though
not as bad, problems.

David Candlish

□ Sounds like a recurring
problem with online
services. We approached
Insight with your complaint
and ft gave the following
explanation: '"We were offered
these OEM cards by one of our
major suppliers and advertised
them accordingly, allowing
customers to place provisional
orders pending receipt of the
goods," explains Judy Greaves
from Insight's customer
sennces. "Despite continuing to
provide ETAs for delh/ery, the
supplier has now confirmed it
is unable to supply the cards,
and consequently we have had
to cancel all outstanding
orders. The retail version of this
card has been available for
some time, but at a price of
£63.99 + VAT. I assume this is
the version stocked by Dabs
and Msquared and why they
are unable to price match the
OEM version."

Insight goes on to say that
when you placed your order it
was also experiencing some
system problems whereby both
the 'Next Day' and Three Day
Delhrery' services were offered
free. IhMible was that upon
selecting the 'Next Day' option,
it generated the appropriate
'Next Day' charga Insight says
it has removed the charge and
apologises for the error.

Insight concluded: "We
regret the inconvenience
caused to all our customers
who placed provisional orders
for this product, but this is
beyond our control".

It looks as if you'll have to
buy your card elsewhere, and
perhaps you should only order
stock that is available... [I^

COMING NEXT ISSUE

READ THIS PLEASE!

EXCLUSIVE

If you are writing in to complain about a
product whether it be a ropey piece of software
or a shoddy PC, please supply us with your full
name, address and contact number. With

PCs especially, make sure that you also include
all purchasing details, such as reference and
invoice numbers. It means that we can resohre
your problems much faster.

We've been waiting ages. You've been waiting
ages. Do you want the good news? It's ready.
And next month, we're not just going to have
the exclusive review of what is possibly going
to be the biggest game of the year, but a fully
playable and exclusive demo as well. Forget
the phrase role-playing, this is immersive
gaming in the real world. If you've played
System Shock 2 you'll know what to expect.

ON SALE

THURSDAY 27 JULY

WHArS HOT LONDON

HARbM

We ask the public
what games are
currently residing
on their PCs

O YWIR HOST Martin Korda VENUE Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street

AD STEVENSON

28. Works in the games
industry

Whafs on your hard drive?

"Counter-Strike, Team Alligator,
Codename Eagle and Messiah. "
What's your favourite
multiplayerFPS?
"Counter-Strike, it's the most
realistic and tactical FPS shooter."
What are you looking forward
to playing in the future?
"Need For Speed Porsche 2000
is one I'm looking out for."
"We gave it 80 per cent, so it
must be good.
"Ha ha ha, I hope so."

ROB ENDERSBY

37. Web Designer
Whafs on your hard drive?

"Soldier Of Fortune."

What are you looking forward

to playing in the future?

"Delta Force 2 or Messiah. I'm
looking for a military game in
the mould of Half-Life."
So you're a military man
by nature?

"No, no, I'm strictly into computer

related violence."

You like one sided violence

then, where there's no risk of

being hurt yourself?

"Yep, that's my idea of fun."

KEVIN GARRET

25. Gardener

What's on your hard drhre?

" TOCA 2, Carmageddon and
Half-Life."

What are you looking forward
to playing in the future?

"Carmageddon 2000. I'm really
looking forward to playing that."
So what's your scoring system
when you drwe normally?
You know like ten points for
a granny etc...
"Five points for a near miss,
ten points for a granny, 1 5 for
an adult and two points for
children and animals."

SIMON TONER

35. Planning Engineer.
What's on your hard drive?

"Quake II a\)6 Unreal."
Why such old games?
"Actually, I only discovered
games about a year ago. When
I've finished with these two, I'm
going to play Unreal Tournament."
Are you looking forward to
playing Quake UR
"Not really, because I played the
demo and it's no good in single-
player mode. Too many FPSs
concentrate on multiplayer
gameplay now. I don't like
deathmatches."

MATHEW RAINES

51. Personnel Officer
What's on your hard drive?

" Quake III an6 Half-Life."
What are you looking forward
to playing?

"More expansions I suppose."
Which is better, Quake w
Half-UM

"Half-Life, it's more fun and
challenging.

What's the best l/a/f-L//ie
expansion or Mod?

" Opposing Force"

A bit too short pertiaps?

"Not really, although it is much
shorter than Half-Life was."

ALISTAIR READY

26. Student

What's on your hard drive?

"A whole bunch of games, do you
want to know which ones?"
Now there's a thought...
"X-Wing Alliance, Close Combat 2,
Dungeon Keeper II an6 some
Star Trek qames."
Wow, what a collectkNi. Do
you believe in having variety
in all parts of your life?
"Yeah, absolutely, I don't specify
a particular type of girl I have
to go out with, or a certain type
of game. Variety is definitely a
good thing."

NICK COLE

41. Drugs Worker

So, how much is an ounce

going for these days.

"No, I'm not that kind of drugs

worker, I help people with

drug problems."

Oh right So what's on your

hard drive then?

"Civ Ilan6 Napoleon 1812

and 1813."

So you prefer turn-based
games over RTSs then?

"Yeah.RTSs tend to be a bit
too manic. Turn-based games
have much more scope for
strategy."

AMANDA CLARKE

37. Works for BT
What's on your hard drhfe?

"Not a lot. Just some rubbish
game that came with the PC."
What are you looking forward
to playing in the future?
"Football games, especially
football management games."
Are you a budding football
manageress?

"Absolutely, but in this world it's
really only possible in a game."
So why aren't women more
interested in gaming?
"We consider it to be a bit geeky."
There goes my street cred.

PETER NEWMAN

26, Engineer

What's on your hard drive?

"Half-Life an6 Thief 11."
Why do you like 77^^//?
"It's a great deviation from the
normal 3D FPSs. You have to
use stealth and can't go in
all guns blazing."
What are you looking forward
to playing in the future?
"Team Fortress 2. I'm really
getting into online gaming."
Will online gaming kill
single-player games?
"No, but all games need online
options in order to compete."

PETE TRUMAN

24. Technology Journalist
What's on your hard drive?

"System Shock 2, Messiah and
Final Fantasy VII a[)(\ Vllir
Hmm, an RPG fan. Ever done
any live role-playing?
"No, but I think it's OK, it's just
not something I'd do. Some of
my friends like it though."
What are you looking forward
to playing in the future?
"Black & Whiter
How do you think it's going
to turn out?

"Hopefully well enough to run
on my PC."

132 PCZONE#92AUG2000

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Star Wars Episode 1 : Phantom Menace £28.99

Star Wars Episode 1 : Racer £28.99

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron £27.99

Star Wars: X Wing Aluance £29.99

Star Wars: X Wing Collegors Series £22.99

Toy Story 2 Activpty Centre...

Traffic Giant

Trickstyle...

,..£22.99

Triple Play Basebau 2000...
Trivial Pursuit 2..,

Tycoon Collection...
Uefa Champions League 2000..

£20.99

£28.99

£29.99

£17.99

...£22.99
...£27.99

Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War £1 9,99

Where in the World is Carmen San Diego £1 6.99

World Cup Cricko £10.99

Worms 2 £10.99

Worms Armageddon Couichon £1 6.99

X: Beyond the Frontier

XCom:Coilegors £15.99

X Files: The Game £17.99

X Wing v Tie Fighter & Balance of Power £1 2.99

X Wing Alliance £29.99

ZoRx Trilogy: Zork Grand Inquisitor, Return to Zork and
ZoRK Nemesis — £24.99

UEFA Manager 2000 £25.99

MiCROSon Flight Sim 2000 £35.99

Scenery Disk Europe 2000 £26.99

Fi icm Sim FSFX V2 - Contains extra planes, safCRY,
sawK ETC FOR FS5.1 , FS6 & FS98 £24.99

for more reviews visit: www.gameplay.com/reviews/pc

^ sales hotline 01 13 234 0444

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Planescape Torment

RPG WITH A TWIST

Woking up in the dty of Sigll
you find yourself scarred
and witti no memories. You
have no idea who you are,
your quest is to find out.
With a huge city and
multiple planes to
dbcxjver, all filled with
magic and mystery.
Anotfier dassic from
the makers of BokJurs
Gate.

t •

-.1

Ultima Ascension

3D RPG ADVfcNruRE

£28.

rrp 34.'

Return to the world of
Britannia for the
greatest adven-
ture yet. A rich
fantasy enviro-
ment awaits
you, as you
journey|||i
through

Britannia interacting with over
200 characters and battle
60 diffrent monsters using 45
incredible spells and a huge
selection of weapons.

Dark reign 2

I Featuring a full 3D
terrain, day and night
missions with very
different rules of
engagement, a slew of
new fully 3D units. You
have complete control
over your troops actions
with an improved inter-
face that allows for creation of squads controlled
with tactical orders. The gome comes with
a complete integral map editor and multiplayer
support.

Star Trek Starfleet Command

3D bi Act Combat

Join the Starfleet for a
30 year campaign rising
through the ranks as you
gain experience and
power. 100 unique
missions ore available to
play, with over 50 differ-
ent ships to control.
Choose from Klingons,
Federation, Romulans
and more in an epic
battle for the stars.

Interstate 82'

■ £28.

Combat Driving

Following on from the madness that was
Interstate 76, again you take to the rood in an
assortment of dangerously insane vehicles, all
armed to the eyeballs and
ready for serious open
, road conflict.

Grand Theft Auto 2

Driving Advfnturp

Crime doesn't pay... unless your playing
GTA2! Choose a shady character
[and prove your worth to the bosses
of one of the many gangs in the
huge city. All tne best bits of
,,the first gome hove been kept
with improvements for every-

thing
else.

MS Flight Sim 2000 Std

Flight Sim

MS Flight Sim 2000 Pro

Flight Sim

£35."

rrp 49."

£52."

The latest edition of Microsoft's best selling, high-
ly realistic simulator is even more accurate than
ever before, featuring a new 3D scenery system
with improved textures and seasonal effects, 2 new
aircraft - the Concorde and the Boeing 777-300,
more than 20,000 airports all around the world to

fly to.

Flight Sim 2000

Pro is the most
realistic simula-
tion of flight
available on any
computer system.
The Professional
version is an
enhanced version

Travel bock in time to the greatest
civilisation of all, the Egyptian
Pharaohs. As a great Pharaoh,
you must build your town
into a beautiful city, filled
with pyramids, monuments
and temples. Manage your
resources well, build ever
more impressive struc-
tures, and try to tame
the Nile, and
perhaps you too will
become as powerful as
the Pharaohs.

Vampire Masquerade

3D RPG Horror Adventure

TfHB

The night time colls you, blood lust is
filling your mind and body with pain
and anguish, humans walk post,
unaware of the demon inside you.
You are a vampire, one of the foul

\undead. Based on the best selling
roleplaying gome of the some
name. Masquerade will suck
out your soul as it drags you
into it's hellish Machiavellian
stalking through the ages of
a dork underworld.

a dork ur

of the game, featuring
IFR proficiency training,
on expanded manual and
enhanced features, all
designed to create a com-
plementary program to
run alongside formal
flight training.

'.."Til

We don't charge your credit card until your order is despatched so...

RREE 1 MB
MEMORY
CARD

WITH EVERY
ORDER FOR
PLAYSTATION
GAK/IES!

DREAMCAST GAMES

Dynamite Cop 2 £29.99

Crazy Taxi €29 9<J

Formula 1 racing Cring

House of the Dead2 f 29 9*^

Metropolis Street racer £29.99

Millennium Soldier r -

Monaco GP Sim 2 £29.99

NBA 2000 £29.99

Pen Pen £29.99

Powerstone £29.99

Red Dog £29.99

Sega Bass Fishing & Rod

Sega Rally 2 £29.99

nic Adventure

ulCallbur £29.99

ke the Bullet £29.99

rick Style £29.99

Irtua Fighter 3tb r

Vlrtua Striker 2 £29.99

World League Soccer '

PLAYSTATION GAMES

AcTUA Soccer 3 £1 2.99

Ape Escape £24.99

Brian Lara Cricket £13.99

Bust A Move 4 £24.99

OviusATiON 2 £29.99

CouN McRae Rauy (..£18.99

Colin McRae 2 £26.99

CoMAAAND & Conquer RED ALERT £14 .99

Command & Conquer Retauation £25.99

Cool Boarders 2 £14.99

Cool Boarders 3 £26.99

Crash Bandicoot 3 £14.99

Croc 2 £29.99

Die Hard Trilogy £14.99

DiNO Crisis £ring

Driver £18 9-

FIFA Soccer 2000 £26.99

Final Fantasy 7 £14.99

Final Fantasy 8 £26.99

Gran Turismo 2 £23

Grand Theft Auto (18+) £14.99

Grand Theft London Disk J:i 4 9o

Knockout Kings £18.99

LEGAa OF Kain Soul Reavir £26.99

LAAA Manager £26.99

Medievil £18.99

Mhal Gear Soud (15-f)

Micro Maniacs £26.99

Mission Impossible

Point Blank 2 £26.99

Quake 2 £26.99

Ridge Racer 4 £9

Rugrats £14.9

Silent Hill ?9

Star Wars Phantom Menace £29.99

Syphon Filter

Tekken 3 £14.99

Tenchu £14.99

Time Crisis £14.99

TOCA Touring Cars £1 4.99

TOCA Touring Cars 2 . £23.99

Tomb Raider £14.99

Tomb Raider 2 £ 14.99

Tomb Raidir 4

V Rally 2

WWF Attitude £26.99

Money Bock Guarantee - if you don't like it don't keep it

For a more comprehensive list of console products and DVD tiHes visit our website
www.gomeplayLCom or caH the soles hotline and ask for a free copy of our current catalogue

www.gamGplay.com \

the gateway to games gomepiaycom

fax orders 01 13 234 0770 or visit Open.... our TV shopping channel

Logitech Wingman
Gaming Mouse

£24.99^

Includes '^BK
Shogo Mobil*

300^PMP?>! 3^way Sub-woo?er
system for PSX, Dreamcost, PC,
Mac, Walkman, & MP3. Volum e
& bass control, power^^^^
supply. iMoc blu e _M
or purple. #

£39.'' ^ V

PC Dash Command Pad

Brilliant new concept in games control

£29.''

rrp39^

allows you to ploy and master complex
games more easily. Simply touch the
picture to control the gome! Fully pro-
grammable, 8 way thumb pod. Con
also be used inventively with many
other applications, e.g. Photoshop,
MS Office, etc

ACS54 POWERPLAY PLUS 5

SPEAKERS

£64."

rrp 89."

A powerful 5
piece 40 watt
RMS speaker syster^, designed
specifically to provide gamers
with high quality surround
sound. Featuring 4 mountoble
satellites, and a sub woofer
the Powerploy Plus system
provides incredible all round
perfomance.

£29."

rrp 39."

LOGITECH WINGMAN EXTREME

T e o t u iing 7 proyuifiiabte buttons, o smooth thro»-
tie sider, on 8 way hat switch and o twisting stid( for
rudder control, tfie Extreme 3D b an easy to use
and very precise fight controler. USB connector
>^ glows for qui ck ond eosy inst alation.

WINGMAN FORCE
FEEDBACK JOYSTICK — Q
8-way hat switch, 9
buttons, high torque
motors. The world's only
immediate feedback
precision
joystick.

Programmable, 8 Way ^

D-Pad, Rudder. Steering r
FUNCTION, Mini-joystick,

USB VERSION AVAILABLE ^

Designed with input from professional
racing drivers, the SideWinder Force
Feedback Wheel offers the realistic
look, performance and ruggedness that
racing fanatics demand. Comes bun-
dled with Monster Truck Madness and
Cart Precision Racing

SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel

r.r.p £124.99 poy £99.99

SideWinder Precision Pro Wheel
(no force feedbock option.)

r.r.p £59 99 pay £54.99

High quality rocing wheel with ^
powerful force feedback
feature lets you feel
every bump! ^»*^^^
Wingmon Formula ^ '
Force Feedback
r.r.p £129.99

poy £94.99

CH Game Card £25.99 ^ S

Gravis Gamepad £8.99 ^ ^

Gravis Gamepad**Pro** £19.99 ^

Gravis Xterminator Pro £27.99 ^

Microsoft Sidewinder *Precision* Pro £44,99

Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro £43.99

Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback £79,99

Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad Pro £21.99

X36 Flightstic k & Throttle Pack

r UnARGUABLY THE BEST
#if& BUNDLE available!

^HC Excellent reviews from
^^all magazines, every

■n FEATURE CONCEIVABLE -
- Wj^ CALL FOR MORE INFO

£64."

rrp 99."

Saitek sp550

need a pad and a joystick ?

The best of both
worlds, a fully
^ functionihg

GAMErAD OR A
HIGHLY FEATURED
JOYSTICK WHEN
CONNECTID TO THE
MD.l

vf Easy clampbing

K SYSTEM, 10" PADDED

WHEEL, Ratio Digital
• ^technology. Gear stick and

24 Programmable
actions, left or right
handed, hat switch,
3d twist function
and 3 handle

ADJUSTMENTS TO
ALLOW YOU TO MAKE
IT FIT YOUR HAND PERFECTLYI

Cyborg 3D Stick

LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED!! YoU ChOOSE

£34.'

pre-order your new releases today and get them on day of release!^

BudgetGames A-Z

101 AiRBOiWE £9.99

AID Cuba ~ £9.99

Am's Exooous £18.99

Ag£ Of Sail £bing

BAniEGROUND EASTERN FWNT £1 4.99

Battle Isle 2 & Data Disk £9.99

BaHLESHIP £WN6

Best of series - Blood 2 £8-99

Best of series - Myth 2 £8.99

Best of series - V Rally £9.99

Best of series - Wargasm £6.99

Betrayal in Antaka £9.99

Broken Swono 2 £9.99

Caesar 2 £9.99

Catz £ring

Chronicles of the Swo«) £8.99

Civil War General 1 o« 2 £9.99

Clueoo £9.99

Combat Chess £4.99

Conquer the Skies £9.99

Conquest of the Empire £7.99

Creatures Gold £1 3.99

Creature Shock £4.99

Cyberstorm 2 £9.99

Dark Eye £8.99

Dark Omen: Warhammer 2 £9.99

Dark Reign £9.99

Deathtrap Dungeon £1 0.99

DESTRuaiON Derby 2 £1 3.99

Dike Nukem 3D & 2 Data Disks £6.99

Dungeon Keeper Gold £9.99

Extreme Power Pack 2 Tofc« Rwdcr, Z, FIFA '97 ...£9.99

Fade to Black £9.99

Fl 4 Fleet Defender £6.99

FIFA *99 ' '

Final Doom £9.99

Flight Unlimited 2 £1.0.99

Flying Corps..,

Lem^ Paintbali t No Mori Lbjmngs > LiKMNGs£l 4.99

LiHLE Big Adventure £1 3.99

Lords of Magic £9.99

Ml Tank Platoon 2...

Future Cop LAP0 2100 £9.99

Gabriel Knight 1 &2 each £13.99

G-NoME £3.99

Grand Prix 2 £10.99

Grand Prix Legends £9.99

Grand Prix Manager 2 £1 0.99

Grand Touring £8.99

Hardball 6 £7.99

Harvest of Souls

Heavy Gear...

£9.99

...£9.99

iMPERtUM Galactica £9.99

International Cricko Captain £8.99

Interstate 76 — £9.99

Jonah Lomu Rugby ~ £1 1 .99

Kings Quest 7 £9.99

Knights AMerchahb £9.99

Magesuyer & Maximum Force Double Pack £7.99

Magic the Gathering (Microprose) £10.99

Masterpieces of Infocom £9.99

Masters Of Orion 2 £9.99

Masters Of Orion 2 & Civnet £1 2.99

Mech Commander Gold £9.99

Mech Warrior 2 or MW2 Mercenaries .each £9.99

MIA & NAM Double Pack »

Micro Machines 2 Special Edition £9.99

Micro Machines 3 £12.99

NASCAR Racing & Track Pack £9.99

Need for Speed 3 £9.99

Network Q Rally « £9.99

Nightmare Creatures £9.99

Odoworld: Abe's Odoysee £1 0.99

OuTuws £9.99

Outpost 2 £9.99

Panzer General £9.99

Phe Sampras Tennis £1 1 99

PGA European Tour „ £11.99

PGA Nippenburg Euro Data Disk £6.99

Phantasmagoria 2 £13.99

Police Quest SWAT 2 £9.99

RoaoRash..

..£9.99
....£9.99
....£9.99
....£9.99
...£9.99
...£12.99

Sensible Soccer World Cup "98 Editioh £9.99

Shadow Warrior £1 4.99

Shanghai Dynasty £9.99

Sio Meier's Gettysburg £9.99

Sierra Sports Golf £9.99

Syndicate Wars £13 99

The Golf Pro £8.99

Theme Park & Theme Hospital Double Pack .£1 4.99

Theme Hospital £9.99

Theme Park £9.99

Tomb Raider & Unfinished Business £12.99

Top Gun £9.99

Total Annijilation & Bahle Tahics Disk £9.99

Transport Tycoon & World Editor £9.99

Ultima 8 £1 3.99

Ultimate Soccer Manager 2 £9.99

Ultimate Soccer Manager "98/99 Season Ed £9.99

Wing Commander 3 £8.99

Wing Commander Prophecy £9.99

World Cup '98 £9.99

X Com: Apocalypse £9.99

X Com: Terror From the Deep £1 0.99

i Qi

tor more reviews visit: www.gameplay.coiti/reviews/pc

sales hotline 0113 234 0444

lines open 7 days: mon-fri 9am-10pm sat & sun lOam-IOpm

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Open....

Family and Educational Titles

here is a selection of our best sellers,
there are many more titles available,
for a complete list ask for a catalogue
or visit our website www.gameplay.com

DORLING KINDERSLEY

Atus of the Sour System £24.99

Bananas in Pyjamas i 15.99

Castu Explorei^ Dinosaur Hunter Bundle £24.99

Chronicle of 20rH Century £21 .99

ENacLOPEOiA of Nature 2 £22.99

ENaaoPEDiA OF SciENa 1 /Nature 1 each £ 1 2.99

Encyclopedia of Science 2 £22.99

Encyclopedia OF Space & Universe £15.99

History Explorer Activity Pack £ 1 7.99

History of the World 2 £23.99

I Love Speuinc^Maths/Sciencl £17.99

My First Amazing World Explorer 2... £17.99
My First Incredibu Aaaazing Doxxury 2 £ 1 7.99

Redshift 3 £22.99

Science Explorer Acnvmr Pack £17.99

Ultimate Human Body 2 £15.99

Virtual Reauty Dinosaur Hunter. £17.99

World Explorer Acnvmr Pack £1 7.99

Each packoge can be customised to suit different
levels of ability ond allow you to select the
appropriate exam board and syllabus. All are
written by practising teachers. Our most highly
recommended range of education aids.

bics, Biology &
Geography, Dt;)iGN6i Tlcm each £15.99

KEY5TAGE3 MATMSy SCIENC^ GeOCEACH £15.99

(SU Learning Lodoer

Disney Interactive Products ]

101 Dalmations print studio ..£21 .99

101 Dalmations story BOOK £24.99

101 Dalmations Interactive Coli £24.99

Aladdin activity centre £24.99

Bug's life activity centre £24.99

Bug's life print studio £21.99

Disney classic games collection .£24.99

Disney magic artist £17.99

Hercules animated storybook. £28.99

Hercules Interactive Coll £24.99

Hercules print studio £26.99

Hunchback topsy turvy gamepack ... .£28 .99

Lion king activity centre £24.99

Lion king animated storybook .£24.99

Lion king collection £24.99

MuLAN story studio £24.99

Pocahontas animated storybook £28.99

Tarzan Action Game £24.99

Tarzan Activity Centre £24.99

TiMON & pumbaa typing £24.99

Toy story activity centre £24.99

Toy story animated storybook £24.99
Winnie the pooh print studio. .£28.99
Winnie the pooh storybook ....£28.99

MICROSOFT

RRP OfFER

Microsoft 3D Movie Maker £29.99 £ 1 4 99

/WTOROun'99 £59.99 £50.99

Encarta World Atias 2000 £29.99 £23.99

Encarta 2000 Standard i29.99

Encarta 2000 Deluxe £69.99 £48.99

Greetings 2000 £29.99 £24.99

MONEY 2000 £29.99 £25.99

Money 2000 Financial Suite £49.99 £40.99

Office '97 Pro 1399.99 £149,99

Office 2000 Pro Upgrade 1299.99 £249.99

Plus (For Windows'98) £49.99 i35.99

Publisher '95 Deluxe £79.99 £34 99

Student Oma '97 £119.99

Student Pubusmer ....£49.99 £39.99

Student Works M9.99 £39.99

Windows '98 ♦Full Version* £149.99 i89.99

Corel Draw 4...
Dance EJ 2

...il4.99
...122.99

ENacLOPAEDiA Britannica 2000 DVD £54 99

Family Toe Maker V5 Deluxe i33.99

Flagtdwer Range juoi £5.99

HUTO««0NS Enoclo«du "97 ..

Mavc Teaches Typing V8

Ordnance Survey Map OF GB

..£8.99

.123.99

....£9.99

First Aid Deluxe '97 fo« Windows '95 £ 2 9 9 9

Norton UnuTiES V4 £29.99

Nuts & Bolts £19.99

TMArs What I Call Help! • First Aid '97,

Norton Antivirus, Winoelete,

PowERDESK, Handyman £29 99

Berlih Think & Talk Range
French/German/Spanish/Itauan
OR Japanese....Each £14.99

/ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE from one of th«
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31 5,000 customers so tor!

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Welcome to the definitive buyers' guide for all discerning PC gamers. The games that grace these
pages represent the best titles across all genres. Check here for regular updates

This is tfie new PCZONElo{i
100. Within it you will find the
best games you can currently
buy for your PC. All the
games here deserve a place
in our illustrious Top 100 as
we go to print, but that could
all change next month when newer titles
come in and older games receive new
ratings to reflect where they stand in the
great scheme of things. Shrewd buyers
will always check here first before parting
with their money.

Benchmark titles are the games that you
simply must have if you are a fan of the
genre. They are considered by the PC ZONE
team to be absolute classics and should be
bought without hesitation. All new games
are compared to their genre's benchmark
title when they are reviewed. Bear this
in mind before writing into Mailbox

complaining that the latest 3D shooter
didn't automatically get 90 per cent; check
here first to see what it's up against!
Additionally, all games in that genre will
receive a new rating every time a new
benchmark title comes along.

NEWENTRY

In the wonderful world of PC gaming, new
titles come in every month some of which
are better than the games currently in the
Top 100. When this happens, they will gain
their rightful place in the Top 100, and a
lesser title will drop out to make room for it.

ill

J| If a game in
ig^^lifl the Top 100

is available on budget, it will be tagged
accordingly. Games that are lower in price
than other titles in their genre do not
necessarily receive a new score to reflect
this. The latest score the game received
will still apply; it is up to you to decide
whether or not the game is worth buying
at its new price point.

score 80+ ^^^^^^

Under the ZONE scoring system,
new games will have to be pretty
spectacular to receive this award.
They will have to take their genre to
unprecedented new heights, and
represent a major step forward for
PC gaming. There are now very few
titles that can justifiably be
described as PC ZONE Classics. i
This trend will continue across
all genres. Generally speaking,
all ZOiVE Classics are must-have
titles (the benchmark title being
the definitive game of the
genre), but that does not mean
you should discount games that score 80+
per cent. These games receive the PC ZONE iiwarfi
for Excellence and are essential buys if you are a fan of the genre
the game fits into. Classics, on the other hand, are games we think
will appeal to everyone and will bring new fans to that particular
genre. There will not be many of them, as when we say a game is
a Classic, we mean it!

j:j U 7

I HAif-UFE

SHOGUN: TOTAL WAR

PCZ#71*95%

O Taking the first-person
shooter as its starting point,
Half-Life redefines the genre with
an engrossing story, cracking
atmosphere and some of the
best Al ever coded. Half-Life is
probably still the best game you
can install on your PC, and it's
now available with the superb
Opposing Force add-on in the
'Generations' pack.
PUBUSNER Sierra
• 0118 9209100

UNREAL TOURNAMENT PCZ #81 • 90%

O Played over a network or the Internet, Unreal Tournament is more
than a match for Quake Ill's multiplayer, with a combination of well-
designed maps and diverse gameplay. The single-player mode might be
too short, but it's still going to be more than a challenge for most.
PUBLISHER GT Interactive • 020 7258 3791

QUAKE HI ARENA PCZ #87 • 89%

O The biggest brand name In PC gaming Is back. The sheer speed,
intensity and unrelenting action of Quake ///makes it an essential
purchase for all shoot 'em up fans, but sadly the lack of variety
prevents it from topping Unreal Tournament
PUBUSHER Adivision •01895 4b6700

ALIENS VS PREDATOR PCZ #77 • 87%

O It might not be the best, but it's definitely the scariest FPS you can
buy. Aliens Vs Predator \s also the only game that offers three distinct
ways of playing through the game, so if you're looking for a solid
single-player blast, this provides excellent value for money.
PUBUSHER Hectronic Arts • 01 753 549442

QUAKE II: QUAD DAMAGE PCZ #59 • 86%

O The sequel to 'the most important PC game ever' turns out to be more
than worth the wait. The single-player mode might be a let-down, but if
you have access to a network or a fast Internet connection you'll be in
heaven. Now available with all the official mission packs.
PUBLISHER Activisioii • 01895 456700

THIEF II: THE METAL AGE PCZ #88 • 82%

O The original Thief se\ new standards in FPS titles with its move away
from mindless action towards stealth, and its excellent use of light and
sound. This sequel delivers more of the same quality gameplay, minus
the out-of-place zombie levels.
PUBUSHER fidos • 020 8636 3000

SHOGO: MOBILE

ARMOUR DIVISION PCZ #71 • 81%

O Half Quake, half MechWarrior, this game breathes fresh air into a stale
genre. Boasting great graphics and storyline, its only faults are iffy Al and
the fact that it's a bit too easy for hardcore Quake ians.
PUBUSHER MKjruids • 00 X] 1 4501 5401

SOLDIER OF FORTUNE PCZ#89 * 80%

O More like an arcade explosion of unmitigated violence than a FPS in
the Half-Life mould, SoFis a great deal of fun. It's also very sick. If you
can stomach amputations and decapitations, then we can guarantee
you pure, mindless entertainment.
PUBUSHER Aclivision • 01895 456700

KINGPIN: LIFE OF CRIME PCZ #77 • 80%

O This controversial title should be talked about for its excellent
gameplay and graphics rather than its violence and swearing. Because,
quite frankly, that side of the game was crap. We still stand by the game
though - it's 'classic adult entertainment'.
PUBLISHER Interplay • 01 628 423666

SIN PCZ #70 •80%

O Releasing Sin at the same time as the vastly superior Half-Life was
commercial suicide. But you can now bag this title for less than a tenner,
which gives you the perfect excuse to find out just how good it actually
is. No Classic, but an excellent game in its own right.
PUBUSHER bidos • 020 8636 3000

■■■■■EH

PCZ #89*93%

Sfiogun is the first strategy
game that has blown us away
In a long time. Command
enormous armies in epic and
bloody battles, send ninjas to
assassinate enemy generals and
conquer your way through the
map of feudal Japan. The 3D
engine works beautifully and the
in-game options never get in the
way of instant playabillty.
PUBUSHER Electronic Arts
• f)l/53 549442

AGE OF EMPIRES II PCZ #84* 89%

O It might not be radically different from the original, but sometimes
evolution is just as good as revolution. In AoE II, the gameplay has been
honed to perfection with balanced units and strong single and multiplayer
campaigns. Forget the hype of Titxrian Sun and opt for this classic RTS.
PUBUSHER Microsoft • 0345 002000

CIVILIZATION 11: TEST OF TIME PCZ #68 • 88%

O A title that lives up to its name, Civilization II is probably the oldest
game in the Top 100 and it will probably still be around in years to come.
Turn-based and in 2D, it offers unlimited replayability and depth. One
of the few games that everyone should own.
PUBUSHER Hasbro • 020 8569 1 234

EARTH 2150 PCZ #90 •86%

O A fantastic 3D engine and great detail team up with sheer playability
to make this one of the best RTSs around. Second only to Shogun this
year, Earth 2150 is a more traditional strategy title, but it takes the
genre even further than it has been before.
PUBUSHER Mattel Interactive • 0144 424 6333

HOMEWORLD PCZ #82 • 85%

O Homeworld teWvers the dream of millions of PC strategists the world
over; a fully three-dimensional, strategic experience. The vast expanse of
space is the battleground, the hundreds of ships at your command the
weapon, and the only limits are your imagination.
PUBUSHER Sierra • 01 1 8 920 91 00

THEOCRACY PCZ #88 #84%

O Blending the best of Age Of Empires and Civilization, Theocracy s mix of
real-time and turn-based gameplay allows you to guide the Aztecs through
history and attempt to right the wrongs of the Hispanic conquerors. In
short, an unexpected gem.
PUBUSHER Ubi Soft • 020 8944 9000

IMPERIUM GALACTICA II PCZ #85 • 83%

O space expansion and empire building has never looked so good. This
title boasts the depth of a turn-based strategy game with the immediate
action of real-time, plus a great interface and tutorial, which means you'll
know your way around In no time.
PUBUSHER GT Interactive • 020 7258 3791

C&C: TIBERIAN SUN PCZ #81 • 82%

O Perhaps not as stunning as one might have hoped after a three-year
wait, Tiberian Sun is nevertheless a truly great game. Pushing the
Command & Conquer genre to its limits. It offers PC strategists
immense depth, detail and variety.
PUBUSHER Electronic Arts • 01 753 549442

TOTAL ANNIHILATION PCZ #56 • 82%

O With a ridiculous number of units and unrivalled pace, the original
TA still stands head and shoulders above more recent efforts. No story
to speak of and weak single-player action, but still, for a tenner, no one
should be without a copy.
PUBUSHER GT Interactive • 020 7258 3791

STAR WARS: FORCE COMMANDER PCZ #89 • 81%

O Not the stunning classic everyone was hoping for, but the first Star
Wars RTS is still a fun game. Based on the original trilogy, recreates
scenes from the films along with all your favourite characters. Play It
against other people for maximum enjoyment.
PUBUSHER Activlsion • 01895 456 7000

SYSTEM SHOCK 2

BUDCET

PCZ#80*93%

O Definitely one of the most
compelling, original and
disturbing games to hit the
PC, System Shock 2 manages
to successfully mix the genres
of role-playing, action and
adventure into one. Play it in
the house on your own with the
lights off to prove how hard you
are. In short, it's a title that's
absolutely indispensable.
PUBLISHER Electronic Arts*
Ul/bo :)4944?

PLANESCAPE: TORMENT PCZ #87 • 87%

O An incredible game from Black Isle, creators of Baldur's Gate. It's a
dark, adult, scorcher of an RP6. Moreover, the character development is
the best we've seen in any game of its kind - and the story is compelling,
with well-scripted dialogue.
PUBUSHER Interplay • 01628 423666

DALDUR S GATE PCZ #73 • 85%

O With every developer 'going 3D' these days, it's refreshing to find
;in old-school RPG that combines traditional D&D role-playing with
sumptuous 2D graphics. In a nutshell, Baldur's Gate is intelligent
and involving in equal measures.
PUBLISHER Interplay • 01628 423666

FINAL FANTASY VII PCZ #68 • 84%

O Despite the recent release of FFVIII, we still rate this earlier episode
m the series above it. The story is better, there are more subgames and
the whole thing is more involving, especially if you like Japanese-style
cartoony graphics. And it should be out on budget soon.
PUBLISHER Eidos Interactive • 020 8636 3000

FALLOUT 2 PCZ #71 •83%

O Does exactly what it says on the tin. Twice as big as the original, but
utilising the exact same engine. If you liked the first game, you'll love this
- not twice as much, but certainly for hwice as long. A real life-sapper
and one of the best RPGs money can buy.
PUBUSHER Interplay • 01628 423666

FINAL FANTASY VIII PCZ #87 • 83%

O FfV/// features westernised graphics and the most incredible cut-
scenes we've ever seen on a PC. Like its predecessor, this outing suffers
from console linearity and repetitive battles, but it still retains enough
charm to entrance most gamers.
PUBUSHER fidos • 020 8636 3000

DIABLO PCZ #48* 78%

O standard hack 'n' slash fare, but pulled off with such style that it's
addictive. A great storyline compensates for repetitive arcade combat
and supremely detailed animation makes it a superb coffee-table game.
The much anticipated sequel is out this summer.
PUBLISHER Zablac/BliTzard • 016';6 332233

ODIUM PCZ #87* 74%

O Imagine an RPG in the style of Final Fantasy, with battle sequences a la
X-COMand you'll get a good idea of what Odium is like. The story is set
in a European city populated by UN soldiers and an amazing variety of
monsters. In short, it's curiously compelling.
PUBLISHER m Soft • 020 8944 9000

NOX PCZ #87*72%

O This D/a^/o-style RPG is immensely addictive. The levels may be a little
repetitive, but you'll find that persistence pays off in the form of great
spells and weapons. Watch out for a massive multiplayer community
spawning around this one.
PUBUSHER Electronic Arts • 01 753 549442

LANDS OF LORE III PCZ #74 • 70%

O Westwood knows how to tell a good story, and this latest title in the
series is certainly the best of the lot. Combine that with ease of use and
some highly polished artwork, and you'll find LoLllldi great alternative to
more traditional RPG efforts.
PUBUSHER W.jtitwood/EA • 01 753 549442

GRIM FANDANGO

: 4u M.

PCZ #71 •90%

O If you've followed the
successes of LucasArts from
the early days of Monkey Island.
Sam & Max and Day Of The
Tentacle, this is a must-buy.
Sublime graphics and genuine
humour ensure it's a classic. A
word of warning: it's bloody
hard and if your mind doesn't
work laterally you'll be playing
it until the day you die.
PUBUSHER L ucasArts
• U^U /3bB 2255

DISCWORLD NOIR PCZ #79 • 89%

O Although the point-and-click adventure genre is dying, Discworld Noir
is very much alive. It's darker in style than previous O/scworW games,
and is all the better for it in our opinion, particularly if you're not a fan
of Pratchett's off-the-wall humour. Don't miss it.
PUBLISHER Gf Interactive • 020 7258 3791

INDIANA JONES AND THE

INFERNAL MACHINE PCZ #84 • 88%

O LucasArts moves away from the point-and-click genre and into
Tomb fla/cfer territory for the latest Indy outing. Thankfully, the adventure
elements are still in place in this whip-cracking romp.
PUBLISHER Activision •01895 456 7000

^HE NOMAD SOUL PCZ #83 • 87%

O Distinctly odd, but also refreshingly original, The Nomad Soul is a
huge, intricate world populated by lap-dancers and (gulp) David Bowie.
At turns adventure, beat 'em up and platformer, it's insanely ambitious
and almost pulls it off.
PUBLISHER Eidos • 020 8636 3000

NOCTURNE PCZ #84 •88%

O Why would you pay good money to be scared? Because it's damn
good fun that's why, and if you find the average PC game laughable, we
dare you to sit through Nocturne with your curtains drawn. It's a beautiful
exercise in computer-generated fear.
PUBLISHER lake 2 • 01 753 722900

MESSIAH PCZ #85 •85%

O Shiny's wonderful shooter features a chubby cherub, but also a bunch
of whores and some gratuitous swearing. As Bob, under-age agent of
God, you must possess people's bodies and, like a good Christian, kill
absolutely everything that gets in your way.
PUBUSHER Interplay •01628 423666

TOMB RAIDER:

THE LAST REVELATION PCZ #83 • 85%

O Lara's back in her fourth (and best) adventure so far. More moves,
better looks, intricate puzzles and a well-developed plot. It's not going
to win over the cynics, but it's still a damn fine game.
PUBLISHER Eidos Interactive • 020 8636 3000

RESIDENT EV' . II PCZ #75 • 82%

O Not quite as attractive as it could have been, Resident Evil II remams
one of the most tensely gripping adventure games of recent years.
A modicum of simple puzzles, offset by liberal and gratuitous gore,
make for top entertainment.
PUBUSHER Virgin • U20 7368 2255

MONKEY ISLAND

BOUNTY PACK PCZ #74 • 80%

O Monkey Island 1 and 2 are perhaps the finest point-and-clickers ever
to grace the PC. The third outing may have been disappointing, but it
would be a sin to exclude it from this excellent triple pack.
PUBUSHER I ucasAfls/Activision • 01 985 456 7000

SAM&MAXAND

DAY OF THE TENTACLE NOT REVIEWED • 78%

O Two of the finest adventure games in the world ever are now available
in a single pack for a bargain price. They still match most titles that are
released today, so go and buy them. Now.

PUBUSHER 1 :i i ;Ar1s/A(;ti vision • 01985 456 7000

PCZ #68*91%

O Sporting an updated
TOCA engine, Colin McRae is
still ttie benchmark in rally
simulations. It boasts realistic
handling, car customisation
and stacks of multiplayer options,
which all contribute to keeping
it well ahead of the competition.
The fact that it's now available
as a budget title makes it an
absolute steal.
PUBUSHER Codemasters
• 01926 814132

MIDTOWN MADNESS PCZ #79 • 89%

O Jump in your car and drive around Chicago participating in races,
annoying the police, or just cruising around. Not quite Grand Theft Auto 3D,
but just as much fun, this is definitely the best all-out arcade racer you
can currently buy on PC.
PUBUSHER Microsoft • 0345 002000

MOTOCROSS MADNESS PCZ #67 • 85%

O This is an astoundingly addictive game. It boasts loads of game and
race options and is tremendous fun, especially when played with a
Microsoft Freestyle Pro pad over a network. If you want to have fun
on two wheels, this is an absolute must-buy.
PUBLISHER Micro.sott • 0345 002000

LE MANS 24 HOURS PCZ #87 • 83%

O Although not quite as challenging as the race it's based on, Le Mans
24 Hours is a driving game for skillful players who know their brakes
from their elbows. You can even get involved in a rewarding career
mode culminating in the famous race itself.
PUBUSHER Infogrames • 020 7738 8199

RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP PCZ #84 • 82%

O Close, but no McRae. That was the verdict from the boy Hill on this
new racer. It looks fantastic and the on-screen Ordnance Survey map is
a nice touch, but it's let down by some poor camera angles and
unnecessarily solid obstacles. Ouch.
PUBUSHER Actualise • 01625 855015

TOCA 2 PCZ #76 •82%

O Predictably, Codemasters has gone and done it again. More cars,
more tracks and the same stunning attention to detail make TOCA 2 an
essential purchase for petrol heads. Graphically, it may not be a massive
improvement, but gameplay-wise it most certainly is.
PUBUSHER CoOtMTiasters • 01 926 81 41 32

MONACO GRAND PRIX PCZ #69 • 81%

O Essentially this is F1 Racing Simulation 2, and an F1 fan's wet dream
come true. The game looks beautiful, plays even better, and the artificial
intelligence is second to none. However, bear in mind that you need a
hefty machine to have it looking its best.
PUBUSHER Ubi Soft • 020 8944 9000

NEED FOR SPEED PORSCHE 2000 PCZ #90 • 80%

Not as good as hooking up with your mates at the arcade, but still
a damn good conversion of a damn fine game. Forget realism and
concentrate on flinging your car around the track as fast as you can.
Who needs depth when racing is this much fun?
PUBUSHER Electronic Ms • 01 753 549442

DRIVER PCZ #82 •80%

O Criticised for lacking the depth of Midtown Madness (it is a PlayStation
conversion after all), this is still a good game. A pumping '70$ soundtrack
helps to recreate that Starsky & Hutch feeling. A wheel, an afro haircut
and a false moustache are, of course, essential.
PUBUSHER GT Interactive • 020 7258 3791

SUPERDIKE 2000 PCZ #88 • 78°/^

O The best motorcycling sim on PC, this game sports incredible visuals,
slick handling and astonishing detail. But it's too easy to fall off unless
you use computer-assisted help. For pure two-wheeled action,
Motocross Madness is still the best option.
PUBUSHER blectronic Arts • 01 753 549442

FALCON 4

BENCHMARK
GAME

PCZ #72* 92%

O We waited patiently for years for
this title to arrive, and the good news is
that for once we weren't disappointed.
Falcon 4 sports beautiful 3D-
accelerated graphics and a dynamic
campaign structure that leaves the
competition well and truly standing.
If you're going to buy one flight sim,
make it this one - it's the best example
of its kind and we guarantee that you
won't be disappointed.
PUBUSHER MicroProse
• 01454 893893

F-22 TOTAL AIR WAR PCZ #68 • 89%

O This full-price new version of DID's masterpiece seems perhaps a bit of
a rip-off for anyone who already owns F-22ADF, but those of you who are
looking to buy one of the greatest combat sims of recent years should
seriously consider this title.
PUBUSHER Ocean/DID • 0161 832 6633

F/A-18E SUPER HORNET PCZ #83 • 88%

O If you like your flight sims to be realistic with a great big capital 'R', then
look no further. In fact, this game is so lifelike that the US Navy has adopted
it for promotional work and ground-based familiarity training. But make sure
you watch out for friendly fire.
PUBUSHER Titus Software • 01926 335 5400

MIG ALLEY PCZ #80* 87%

O MiG Alley qms hardcore flight simmers' piloting skills a run for their
money, but don't let that put you off. If you're willing to put in the work, this
title will repay you with a wealth of excellent in-flight graphics and a selection
of brilliant mission planning elements.
PUBUSHER Empire Interactive • 020 8343 7337

FLICHT UNLIMITED III PCZ #82 • 86%

O For all those sim aficionados who enjoy the experience of flying for its
own sake rather than as a lame excuse for blasting other flying things to bits,
this (along with the Flight Sim series) is an object of worship and devotion. It
certainly deserves high praise.
PUBUSHER hlectronic Arts • 01 753 549442

FLANKER 2.0 PCZ #85 •86%

O Hardcore pilots with a taste for Yank blood need look no further. Extremely
hard to fly, but very rewarding nevertheless, Flanker 2.0 recrea\es the real
thing in minute detail. However, be warned: hours of practice are needed
before you go off shooting stuff.
PUBUSHER SSI* 01293 651300

JANrSUSAF PCZ #88 •85%

O /yS4F offers playability that allows non-hardcore flyers to have a successful
spin. While this means that the standards of realism are nowhere near other
titles, it fills the gap for those of us who don't care about such things. This is
a great flight sim that anybody can enjoy.
PUBUSHER Electronic Arts • 01 753 54944?

ENEMY ENGAGED: COMANCHE HOKUM PCZ #89 • 85%

©The latest helicopter sim to hit the shelves, it is also the best one to date. In
no other game do you feel the excitement of being involved in a real war, largely
due to an excellent dynamic campaign mode. Helicopter sims don't come any
better than this classy title.
PUBUSHER Empire Interactive • 020 8343 7337

JANE'S F/A-18 PCZ #89 • 84%

O Another game based on the US Navy's Super Hornet, this is an incredibly
detailed jet sim that suffers slightly from being too hard for beginners.
Graphically, it's up there with the best and the interface makes you feel
as close to the real thing as is possible on a desktop.

I Electronic Arts • 01 753 549442

TEAM ALLIGATOR PCZ #85 • 84%

O Helicopter sims are rare but, when they do appear on the scene, they are
usually superb. Although Team Alligator 6oesn'\ quite surpass the cheaper
Apache Havoc, it has truly beautiful graphics and feels great to fly. Without
doubt, the best Russian chopper sim around.
PUBUSHER GT Interactive • 020 7258 3791

FIFA 2000

JTTT

PCZ#84*88%

O The FIFA franchise has been
rolling on for years and it does
get better each time. Although it
missed a Classic rating by a
whisker, FIFA 2000 \^ still the best
conversion of the finest sport
known to man. You should be able
to find it on budget soon. Or you
could always fork out the full price
for the recent Euro 2000, which is
essentially the same game.
PUBUSHER Electronic Arts
• ()l/b:iM9442

SUPREME SNOWBOARDING PCZ #85 • 88%

O Snowboarding is not a sport you'd expect to captivate a PC audience,
but this game gives as exhilarating an experience as you could hope
for without breaking a leg. Oh, and all the streetwise attitude you'd
expect is here, of course.
PUBLISHER lufoyrames • 020 8738 8199

NBA LIVE 2000 PCZ #85 • 83%

O As slick as always, but what makes the 2K edition special is the
inclusion of teams from the '50s onwards, comedy haircuts etai
Although not quite as immediate as Inside Drive, it's a more complete
simulation of the sport all round.
PUBLISHER \ lectronic Arts • 01 753 549442

NBA: INSIDE DRIVE PCZ #82 • 82%

O While not exactly the most popular sport in this country. Inside Drive
manages to suck you in with its supreme playability. Its presentation is
not quite up to EA standards (but then, what is?), but when the gameplay
is this good, who cares?
PUBLISHER Microsoft • 0345 002 000

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF PCZ #80 • 82%

O Knocking Links oft the office golfing perch is no mean feat, but PGAs
gameplay is so addictive that all other contenders can tee off. Our very
own Keith Pullin took the entire summer off to design his own courses
for it. But then again he does have a hole in one in the head.
PUBLISHER Sierra • 01 1 8 920 91 00

VIRTUAL POOL 2 PCZ #58 • 82%

O OK, so Virtual Pool2scoTe6 one per cent less than its predecessor,
but this follow-up beats it hands down. 3dfx support goes some way to
pushing the series further, and the inclusion of English Pub rules make
it a more essential purchase than before.
PUBLISHER Interplay • 01 628 423666

JIMMY WHITE S CUEBALL 2 PCZ #68 • 81%

O The finest snooker simulation on the PC. Chalk your cue and take on
the PC or your mates, and when you're tired of the baize you can move
round and have a go on the fully-featured darts board instead. Saves
going down the Working Men's Club.
PUBLISHER Virgin Interactive • 020 7368 2255

ACTUA SOCCER 3 PCZ #72 • 80%

O If you can't get on with FIFA, then Actua is the second port of call for
footy fans. It plays a faster game and there's a good range of options
and a huge number of teams to play against, which helps to maintain
Its shelf life.

PUBUSHER Gremlin Interactive • Oil 4 273 8601

BRIAN LARA CRICKET PCZ #75 • 78%

O Cricket isn't the easiest game to convert to the PC, but Codemasters
has done quite a good job, despite the fact that Brian Lara Cricket has
obviously been ported straight over from the PlayStation. For aspiring
country-dwellers everywhere.
PUBUSHER Codemasters • 01926 814132

TIGER WOODS 2000 PCZ #90 • 77%

OTiger's second outing proves to be as good looking as his first, and a
lot more polished. There are eight courses, and if you get bored of those
you can create your own. It still hasn't got the putting right, but it's
playable all the same.
PUBLISHER Electronic Arts* 01 753 549442

X- BEYOND THE FRONTIER

BENCHMARK ^.^^^^^^^^^Bi

CSAME '^^^jjj^T

PCZ #82 •89%

O The spirit of Elite lives on in this massive trading
epic from Germany, in which you must buy and fight
your way back home to Earth. The combat side of
the gameplay may not be the best on offer, but
with goods to trade and races to discover, it rewards
patience with variety and months of play. This title
is deeply hypnotic and beautiful, rather than
tense and frenetic.
PUBUSHER THQ • 01483 767656

FREESPACE2 PCZ #84* 85%

O Completely different from X, FreeSpace2ofiers fast-paced dogfighting action
all the way. It boasts a superb interface, epic story and amazing graphics, but it's
a bit short-lived if you don't play online.
PUBLISHER Interplay • 020 7551 422?

X-WING: ALUANCE PCZ #77 • 83%

O At last! Fly the Millennium Falcon in the final episode of the long-running
X-Wing series. Certainly the best-looking X-Wing game to date. Alliance is slow
at first, but boy does it pick up later on.
PUBUSHER Activislon • 01 895 456700

STARLANCER

PCZ #91* 81%

yrilf ryTQY Whlle Stariancer6oesn'\ do anything startlingly new, it
IlL Iff Lll I n I is a highly polished affair with compulsive gameplay and
gorgeous visuals. A must for space sim fans.
PUBUSHER Microsoft • 0345 002 000

PRIVATEER 2 PCZ #44 •80%

O Not as open-ended as Elite, but far more rewarding as an overall experience.
The graphics look great even today and, hey, it's on budget - so it's better value
for money than ever.

PUBLISHER Electronic Arts • 01 753 549442

CM 99/2000

BENCHMARK 1

PCZ #84 •92%

O More than a game. . . it's a way of life. So say fans
of the best football management game in existence.
If you dare to play it you can kiss goodbye to your
social life, and expect to spend hours each and
every day poring over unknown players in a bid to
discover the next Ronaldo. The word 'benchmark'
doesn't really describe how much better than the
competition this game is.
PUBUSHER Eidos • 020 8636 3000

THE SIMS PCZ #87 •86%

O This game offers a staggering amount of possibilities. Essentially, you create
your own person, or family, and guide them through the ups and downs of life -
it's the definitive docu-soap and makes for compelling gameplay.

Electronic Arts '01 753 549442

CAESAR HI PCZ #70 • 85%

O Starting from scratch you've got to build a majestic Roman city and ensure a
harmonious life for your citizens. So what? So it's utterly absorbing and probably
the most addictive god sim In existence.
PUBUSHER Sierra • 0 1 1 8 920 9 1 00

SIMCITY 3000 PCZ #74 • 84%

O Ten years on, S/mC/Zy remains as addictive as it ever was. Little was broken,
and little was fixed. With new buildings to try out and an enhanced transport
system, SimCity3000 \s a must for old-timers and newbies alike.
PUBUSHER Maxis/EA • 01 753 549442

ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON PCZ #75 • 83%

O Pack out your own theme park with the most fiendish rides your imagination
can conjure up. From rickety wooden dippers, to /Vemes/5-style, white-knuckle
gurners, RT\s hugely addictive.
PUBUSHER Hasbro • 020 8569 1234

nr) u:^

umnuoNUNE

PCZ#80*92%

O In many ways an old-school RPG, but with
amazing freedom, depth and open-endedness. So
addictive that ZONE editor Chris has sold his car,
his house and his soul to finance a permanent
Web connection. The best thing about Ultima
Online is that your world is constantly changing
and evolving, and it's populated by
real people, just like you.
PUBUSHER Eleclronic Arts • 01 753 549442

PCZ#80«85%

O If you find Ultima Online too vast, EverQuest may be the online RPG for
you. It's far more combat-orientated than Ultima, and more linear as a result.
Repetitive at higher levels, but worth checking out all the same.
PUBUSHER Sony (sold at Electronic Boutique only) • 020 7428 5961

EVERQUEST

ALLEGIANCE

PCZ #91*82%

yriif PyTpY The first true online only space combat sim, Allegiance is a
nL fff Ul I NT complex yet rewarding beast. Now you can fly around with
hundreds of others, co-ordinating strategies and establishing chains of command.
PUBUSHER Miciosoft» 0345 002 000

ASHERON*S CALL PCZ #88 • 76%

O The graphics and freedom to do almost anything make this title a
commendable addition to the genre. However, it's a crying shame you can't
kill other humans - most of the ones you meet deserve a good kicking.
PUBUSHER Microsoff 0345 002 000

NETSTORM PCZ #59 •73%

O A curious blend of chess, Red Alert an6 Baron Munchausen, NetStorm is
also an elegant and addictive multiplayer game that works beautifully across
a standard modem.
PUBUSHER Activision •01895 456700

HIDDEN & DANGEROUS

DENgjMARK^I ^ ^

PCZ #79*91%

O You don't get a second chance in a real war,
and Hidden & Dangerous is the game that's come
closest to putting you in the middle of hell on earth.
From the first missio it grabs you by the balls
and doesn't let up until you're dead, with a bullet
in the head. As a strategic shoot 'em up, games
don't get any harder, or more compelling
and atmospheric

PUBUSHER Take 2 Interactive • 01 753 722900

SWAT 3 PCZ #85 •89%

O Artificial Intelligence doesn't get any better than this. Add some spectacular
graphics, an ingenious command interface and edge-of-your-seat gameplay,
and you've got a top title.
PUBUSHER Sierra • 01 1 8 920 91 00

BAnLEZONE 2 PCZ #84 • 87%

O stunning graphics and a winning blend of strategy and first-person action in
this sequel to the highly acclaimed Battlezone. The fight for world domination
has never looked so good.
PUBUSHER Adivision • 01895 456700

ROGUE SPEAR PCZ #84 • 86%

O We loved Rainljow Six and although this follow-up can't match Hidden &
Dangerous ioT intensity, it's a superb romp through the world of terrorism. Pick
your team, kit them out and plan your missions carefully.
PUBUSHER Take 2 Interactive • 01 753 722900

SPEC OPS 2 PCZ #84 •84%

O Challenging Hidden & Dangerous for the top spot, Spec Ops 2 puts you in
charge of a four- man green beret squad intent on staying alive and shooting
the enemy in the head. Incredibly realistic, with top-notch sound.
PUBUSHER Take 2 Interactive • 01 753 722900

— — ^

PGZONE ALbTIME

CLASSICS

DOOM

O This is the game that needs no introduction. Without Doom vie
wouldn't have had Quake, Unreal Tournament or (gulp) Half-Life.
Every time you play a first-person shooter you should take five
minutes to pay homage to the game that changed the world as
we know it. Doom, we thank you.

ULTIMA VII

O still the best of all the Ultima games, and probably the finest
RPG ever seen on a PC. The graphics might be old-hat, but the
gameplay certainly isn't. Ultima l^// blends exploration and
character interaction, and it's the last title in the Ultima series
to give complete party control.

ULTIMA UNDERWORLD

O We reviewed this game back in the first issue of PC ZONE. It was
a landmark RPG then and it's still a landmark RPG now, although the
graphics obviously look a bit dated. Do we think it's the best RPG
ever? Almost, but not quite. Cast your eyes up the mag a couple of
inches for the answer to that question.

UUNEII

O If you know your strategy, you'll know that Dune II is the game
that's done more than any of its rivals to define the genre as we
know it today. The 2000 update was disappointing, but only because
It didn't add anything new. The fact that it still plays better than
many new titles is testament to its staying power.

SENSIBLE WORLD OF SOCCER

O EA's FIFA series might look the part, but we're convinced that
Sensible Soccer ms and is the ultimate example of gameplay over
presentation. With its famous top-down view, Sensible otters fast
frantic action that does more to replicate the real-lite game than
any of its predecessors.

UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN

O This game came out of nowhere and took the world by storm.
Compelling strategy, tense turn-based battles, and a myriad of
research options made this the most addictive game ever upon
its arrival. Subsequent sequels were just as addictive, but this Is
the game that originally captured our hearts.

MAGIC CARPET

O Drawing gasps of amazement from everyone who saw it,
Bullfrog's Magic Carpet was one of the most original and inventive
games released in the early days of 3D. So original, in fact, that it
never got the recognition it deserved. We still think the blend of
action and strategy was spot-on.

WING COMMANDER

O The original space combat game spawned the first big-budget
PC series. In fact, the Wing Commander series was so hugely
successful that they went and made a film. Inevitably, this was
absolute rubbish and the public stayed away in their millions.
Will these people never learn?

TOMB RAIDER

O She might be getting a bit rusty round the gills, but when Lara
first bounced onto the small screen we fell in love with her instantly.
3D action adventure games haven't been the same since and at the
time nothing could touch it. Do you remember your first encounter
with theT-Rex?

CIVILIZATION

O The original and some say the best turn-based strategy game.
When Civilization MrsX appeared, it was hailed correctly as the first
game that changed and evolved depending on how you played it.
Recent versions have presented more of the same, but in this case
that is definitely no bad thing.

■ ■ ■ ^

ON THE CD

ONTHECD

Riding, driving,
shooting, flying, cueing,
turn-based and real-
time strategy. You
name it we've got it on
this month's cover CD

O ON VOCALS: Martin Korda MIXING THE DISK: Dan Emery

CD trouble? Don't worry -
phone our helpline and sort
yourself out pronto!

CD-ROM HELP Phone AST on
01708 250250 any weekday between
9.30am and 5pm, and Saturday from
1 0arn to 2pm, or email pczoneO
aM-netdenion.co.uk Please do NOT
phone the PCVOA/f office. Thanks.

BEFORE YOU DIAL. .. If you are
calling the helpline, please take
note of the following points:

O It possibfe, have your PC operating
and near the phone when you call.
O If this is not possible, note down all
relevant information - ie system type,
sound card, fV\M and so on - plus the
nature of the fault.

O Make sure you have a pen and paper
to hand when you call so you can jot
down the relevant info.

MINIMUM SPECIFICATION

O You need at least a Pentium 166
with 32Mb RAM to run the software
on this month's CD-ROM.
O Many of the programs on our
cover CD-ROM are designed to run
under Windows 95/98 and, as a
result some of them may require
a Pentium 233 with 64Mb RAM to
run satisfactorily. Please note that
some games also require a 3D
accelerator card to run.
O Use the browser and menu
system to see which demos are
3D accelerator only.

ONTHECD

DEMOS + SHAREWARE

MOTOCROSS

MADNESS2

Microsoft

I'm losing to a bloke called The Wave. Someone shoot me now.

EXCLUSIVE

The much-anticipated sequel to Microsoft's
Motocross Madness is here, and we've got the
exclusive demo for you. Featured here are two of the
game's fhre racing options, Stunts and National
Race. The first of these throws you Into an open-
aired stunt arena, where unsurprisingly you have to
clock up as many points as possible In the ghren
laps by performing the most daring stunts. In short,
you've just got to be that little bit more psychotic
than your opponents. Given that you can't hurt
yourself, you may as well go for it What have you
got to lose apart from your dignity?

If performing daredevil aerial acrobatics isn't
your thing, you can try your skills out on a two-to-
fhre lap race against up to four opponents. The to^ck
is called the Voodoo Basin, and is packed with
jumps and dangerously tight corners. The computer-
controlled bikers can be set to one of three difficulty
levels, but even on the easiest you'll be in for some
serious competition. The beauty of it is that on the
easier settings they fall off just as much as you do.
If any of you are thinking of hying to win by using
underhand tactics, then I'm afraM you're In for a
disappointment Cut too many comers, and you get
booted back a couple of hundred metres.

There's more than enough here to ghre all biking
fans a taste of what's in the full version. Although
MM2 hasn't made any massive leaps forward from
its predecessor, it's a huge amount of fun and the
best biking game cuirently available. All that's left
now is for you to load It up and see for yoursehres.
You can read Steve Hill's full analysis
of the game on page 66.

Controls: An-ow keys or gamepad

Jimmy's attempt to jump
out of a plane on his bike
went horribly wrong when
he forgot his parachute.

148 PCZONE#92AU62000

ON THE CD

You're suppose to
shoot the enemy,
not sneeze on them.

f Sim

H may not be the fastest game around, but you'll still need to be a good shot.

'2?/ 100

FLYING HERQ^

I^SSEES

The second of our exclusive demos ttiis month is Talce 2's fantasy
flyer, flying Heroes, which brings together a flight sim and a FPS to
provide gladiatorial type battles in the sicy. You must select your
race (all of which have their own particular strengths), and battle
against an array of mystical creatures In an arena.

In this demo you only have the chance to fly as a Lizard Rider,
but there are four difficulty levels to test yourself with. It also
provides you with a tutorial, in which your guide sounds lilce that
Moke from the BBC version of Perfect Day. You know, the one who

thinks perfect is pronounced poyfect Anyhow, he leads you
through the basics of flying and collecting ammunition. Then it's off
to the arena to battle against laser-toting pigeons and other such
teiTtfying creatures. Although the action Is never manic, you'll need
a good aim and plenty of skill to manoeuvre your lizard during
combat For those of you who love flight sims and deathmatches
but find Quake ///and UTioo fast, ttiis could be ttie game that
you've been waiting for. Turn to page 79 to find out mora

Controls: Keytward and mouse.

Aim, fire and chalk another loser
up on the side of your lizard.

GROUND CONTROL

Sierra

Grmind Controls of one of the most impresshre
RTS games of all time, and here's your chance to
try It out for yourself. Along with Shogun: Total
War, It's one of the best demos ever featured
on ttie PC ZONE CDj and once you've hied it,
you'll be hooked.

Before throwing yoursefl straight into the
combat mission provided, we recommend you go
through the tutorial. I know, I know, tutorials are
boring, right? Wrong. In this instance, ttie ttiree
parts of the Boot Camp, as It's called, are almost
as much fun as the game itself. It's incredibly
detailed and clear, and by the end you're left in
no doubt as to how to control your troops. One of
the most exciting parts of Ground Control 'xs that
you can command flying units, which actually
engage other airtx>me craft in dogfights. There's

also a huge emphasis on tactics, such as
flanking, and the need to regenerate your
marines during a battia

Once you know what you're doing it's time to
blow stuff up, namely an enemy basa As there's
no resource management in Ground Control, all
you have to concenfrate on is leading your
troops and annihilating the enemy. The combat Is
fast, Intense and exciting, and once you've
completed the mission, you'll feel proud, yet
strangely empty, because you'll be wanting more
of the sama The only way to fill the void is to go
out and buy the full version, and believe us, after
playing this demo, you will want to. There's a full
review of Ground Control on page 62.

Controls: Mouse

After a tourist accidentally strayed
onto a military testing ground, he
was politely asked to leave.

AUG2000 #92PCZONE

ECONOMIC WAR
HAS BEGUN.
WILL YOU LEAD YOUR COUNTRY

^VICTORY?

THE FUTURE OF THE ECONOMIC

WORLD IS NOW IN

YOUR HANDS!

NIE CrISTO

THE MANAGEMENT GAMES COMPANY

www.montecristogames.com

ON THE CD

WARLORDS
BAHLECRY

Manel Interactive

The fourth episode of the Wartords series is
also the first Wartords RTS gama After zipping
through the tutorials, which teach you about
moving, fighting, resource management and
building, you can talce part in a slcirmish
against three computer controlled opponents.
While the full game has nine races for you to
select from, this demo offers two, Humans and
Undead. The former are a versatile race with
no particular strengths or wealmesses. The
latter perform pooriy in battle and
organisation, but excel in the Intelligence

stakes, which is quite surprising
considering their brains have probably rotted
away. On the map provided, you must gain
control of resources, build your troops and
lead them to victory against all of your
opponents. Along the way, your hero can
complete quests and find magical items,
which will malce him both a more powerful
warrior and leader. To find out more about the
game, check out our review on page 76.

Controls: Mouse

A fire figlit, the old-fashioned way.

With ttiese programs, using ttie internet wili be a whoie iot easier

Gamespy3Dv2.19

Hre it up and It'll find the fastest servers
playing all your favourite games.
Neotrace 2.12a

Neotrace is a high-speed graphical
traceroute with the integrated whois
and pln|^
PingTool2.6a

PingTool helps you find the best online
game servers on the Internet
Winsock2

Users of eariy versions of Windows 95
may require this to run PingTool.
DUNIManagerZ.Od
Simplify and enhance Diai-Up
NetworMng and Remote Access Services.
FTP Explorer 1.0010
Explorer-style FTP service.
GetiUght4.2

Sahrage broken downloads and more.

MIRC5.7

Latest version of the Internet Relay Chat

software.

Mplayer

Excellent free online gaming software.
Kali 2.0

Useful client software for playing games

over the Internet

ICQ2000a build 3140

Worid's best internet and online chat

package.

Roger WilcoMkl.la

A virtual walkie-talkie app that runs

alongside your favourite multiplayer

games.

Datum Online

Find your next job online with Datum
Onlina

Peoplesound.com

A sneak peek at tomorrow's hits.

UTIUTIES

To make your liard disic more user friendiy, ali you liave to do is
instaii this iittie iot.

WinZip8.0

Windows 95 and NT verston of WinZip.
EiDesk1.8

Saves the posttkm of your Desktop
shortcuts and folders.
Power Toys

Useful add-ons for your Desktop.
TreeSize Professional v2.31
A powerful and flexible hard disk
space manager.
Adobe Acroliat Reader 4.05

Readers for documents distributed in
Adobe fotmat.

HyperSnap-DX Pro 3.55.00
Screen-capture even in DirectX/DirectSD
or 3dfx Glide modes.
SciTech Display Doctor v6.53
The latest release of the unhrersal
graphtes card utility.
Windows Media Player
Play the Web's coolest audio and vMeo
with Windows Media Player.

•

1 Build an outpost, and defend it from any hostiles.

The Starship Enterprise, seconds
before jettisoning Wesley
Crusher.

Now's your chance to boldly
go where no person has dared
to go before.

STAR TREK:

Activision

The third of our RTS games this month is Activlsion's Star Ttek: Armada. Take the
helm of the Starship Enterprise, and build an outpost in a reportedly hostile area
of space. You must build a star base and a mining station, and then eliminate
any enemy craft who have the intention of wiping you out. Pabick Stewart does
the voice for Jean-Luc Picard, adding plenty of authenticity to the proceedings.
Thankhjily though, there's no Wesley Crusher to annoy the hell out of you, and for
that we can all be thankful.

Controls: Mouse

AU6200Q#92PCZONE 151

T<MHt> RkHtor II

Reviews and ratings for
100s of top games

Download all the latest

demos and patches

Hints and Tips to perfect

your gaming technique

WARNING! Serious
PC Gaines Zon&

www.pczone.co.uk

THE CD

Never test your fuel level with a match. It's silly.

DIEHARD
TRILOGY 2

Fox Interactive

Three games in one, Die Hani MIogy 2 Is a game that hies to satisfy everyone.
There are three modes of play available here, driving, first-person shooter and
third-person shooter. The first of these pits you in a race to intercept enemy
vehicles while destroying the bombs they've dropped. The second is a simple
point-and-shoot affair, reminiscent of those rip-off arcade machines which you
had to keep pumping with pound coins every 20 seconds if you wanted to get
anywhere. Finally, the third-person shooter section is like the FPS one, only this
time you play In, er, third-person mode. You actually have to move your hero John
McClane around as well. Basically, If you want some mindless action, you wiront
be disappointed with this demo.

Controls: Keyt)oard and mouse

PATCHES

INTNEGD

Install these and your favourite games will work a lot better

Die Hard Trilogy 2 ver 2.1
Fading Suns: Noble Armada
Final Fantasy VIII
Flying Heroes
Imperium Galactica 2
Kawasaki ATV PowerSports
Messiah vO.2
NASCAR 2000 vl.01
Quake III Arena
Revenantv1.22
The Sims

Sim Theme Park v2.0
Soldier Of Fortune v1.04B
Star Trek: Armada
StarSiege: TRIBES vl.O to v1.11
StarSiege: TRIBES vl.10.5 to v1.11
StarSiege: TRIBES vl.8 to v1.11
lichyon: The Fringe
riger Woods PGA Tour 2000 vl.1
Ihiphy Bass 4 v1 .0.0.2 Patch
Unreal Tournament v420
Wheel Of Fime v333b Patch

EDITORIAL

If you're stuck on a game, you may well find the answer right
here. Also, some more Champ Manager updates for your
personal enjoyment

Tips and Solutions

Handy hints and top tips on all your fave games. Well, most of them.
Championship Manager 99/00 Update
Latest transfers, updates and the rest

EXTENDED PlAY

'him to page 154, where our very own Phil Wand will lead you
through all of our great GTA 2 and TA Kingdoms add ons.

CUE CLUB

Midas Interactive

If you can't be bothered to go down your local for a couple of games of pool, then Cue
Club could be the answer to your prayers. On this month's CD you can play the US
veislon of eight-ball pool or try out your skill on the Speed ball game, where you must
h7 to pot all the balls In the shortest possible time. A bit like on Big Break. . . When
the pressure's on, the shots are much harder to execute. If you fancy chatting to
someone, there's a virtual chat room in which you can converse with or insult other
pool players. Just remember, these people aren't real, so hying to get them to have
cybersex with you won't work, and when they ask you to rack 'em up, they're asking
you for a game of pool. OK?

Controls: Mouse

COMBAT MISSION -
BEYOND OVEBUMID

Big rime Software

Combat Mission Is a him-based 3D accelerated WWII sfrategy gama This demo offers
two missions for you to show off your command ability, or inability If you're a bit crap.
Due to it being a turn-based affair, strategy and tactics are paramount to achieving
victory, and although it's quite slow paced, there's plenty of en|oyment to be had.
Check out www.battlefront.com for more details.

Controls: Mouse

Allfi2m#92PCZ0NE 153

r!TM!nEnDiDEDPuy

EXTENDEDPLAY

NET ADDRESSES

The long awaited speed fix for TA: Kingdoms has finally arrived
plus a truckload of new units. Not forgetting some handy tools for ?PPI?^!^.
your Grand Theft Auto 2 garage

O WORDS Phil Wand

TRY IT YOURSELF

On this month's cover CD
we've got all the official
patches, bug fixes, utilities
and map editors we could
find, including all the ones mentioned in
these pages. To track them down, use
the CD brovi/ser to go to the Patches
section. All the patches are listed with
a brief description and any relevant
documentation. Make sure you read any
associated README files for information
on how to install individual patches. For
furttier help, turn to our CD pages,
starting on page 148.

TA: KINGDOMS

OFFICIAL PATCHES

O Cavedog updates for TJb

Kingdoms,

Oy2UPnKll (1x-2bd.EXE)
Description: Updates TA:
Kingdoms v1 to version 2.0
Includes a raft of new features,
cuts the RAM usage by a boggling
24Mb, and doubles up game
loading, interface and overall
speed of play. Everything is now
noticeably smoother and faster
on screen at all resolutions. The

engine will now automatically
adjust the level of shadow detail
and animation updating to
maintain a decent frame rate.
You also don't get that annoying
pause when you click on units,
plus the Dirigibles are rendered
quickly and are more potent in
battle. Get this installed noiv!

OV3.0 UPDATE

(TAK30BBupdate.exe)
Description: Updates TA:
Kingdoms v1 to version 3.0. New
units include the Aramon Ark and
Grenadier, the Veruna Merwarrior,
Ballista and Centaur, the Zhon
Swamp Beast, Barracuda and
Giant Orm, and the Taros Dark
Hand and Fallen Angel. For full
details, see the README file.
Again, a must install for all
Kingdoms owners.

OFHCIAL UNITS

O New Cavedog units for

TA: Kingdoms.

O THE UGHTHOUSE (VlightHs.exe)

G The Lighthouse Is an expenshre
but worthy addition to Veruna
defence.

Race: Veruna

Description: Summoned by the

Lihr Priestesses of Veruna,
the new Lighthouse is a tall
and imposing structure that
can be built either inland or on
rocky shallows. Its range is far
greater than any other building,
its height giving it a huge field
of vision. Its weapon causes
temporary paralysis, which
allows patrolling ships or
other defensive units to
move in for the kill.
Rating: OOO

O KAMIKAZE RAT

(TKamRatexe)
Race: Taros

Description: Since Veruna and
Aramon units harnessed the
destructive power of gunpowder,
Lokken has been slaving over a
hot test tube refining a volatile
derivative of Mogrium. Trouble is
that it's a bit foo volatile, meaning
no bugger will touch it - let alone
carry it with them into the middle
of a battle. So the chief Taros
Necromancer has recruited a
squadron of kamikaze rats who
run squeaking at their enemies
before exploding.
Rating: OOO

O ROLLING THUNDER

(ASiege.exe)
Race: Aramon
Description: Essentially a
defensive tower sat atop a
wheeled chassis, the Aramon
Rolling Thunder is a particularly
impressive bit of kit when used
in threes and fours. Twin archers
provide the attack strength,
picking off land, sea and air
targets with ease, and its solid
mahogany construction prevents
inbound arrows from doing
any real damage.
Rating: O OOO

OSPIRrrWOLF/ZSivo/f.exdj

TA: IQNGDOMS HOME PAGE www.cavedog.com/ta-kingdoms
TA: K1NG00MS.COM w/w.takingdoms.com
GRAND THER AUTO HOME RAGE www.take2games.com/modules/gta
'STOMPED G1A gta.stomped.com

A giant wicker washing basket on wheels.

Race: Zhon

Description: The Spirit Wolf is
actually quite real; it takes its
name from its ability to raise
spirits from inside fallen warriors
- spectres that rise from the
grave and join battle once again,
albeit with half the power and
strength. In many ways this is
akin to the Undead soldiers of
Taros, and indeed the Spirit
Wolves of Zhon harbour a
ferocious dislike for their Taronian
enemies, attacking them in battle
with a disturbing fervency.
Rating: OOOOO

TABDD UNITS
O New units for TM:
Kingdomsfrom popular
unit makers TABDD.

O NAUTILUS

VNautilus.zip)

kings of the sea. Advanced Creon
technology was far superior and
their armour far stronger. With
the Nautilus, a fast and highly
manoeuvrable steel submersible,
Verunas are now able to retake
the oceans as their own.
Rating: OOOO

O MOBILE MORTAR ^>4^Z7Z7-
VMobileMortar.zip)
Race: Veruna

Description: Designed to replace
the ageing catapult, the Verunian
Mobile Mortar is an impressive
weapon able to decimate
advancing legions with a single
shot. Use them in large numbers
and nobody gets through.
Rating: OOOOO

OBMlOQHlSJaABDD-

VBalloonist.zip)

O Nice cloggy.

O The Nautilus is a small but
deadly submersible craft.

Race: Veruna

Description: With the arrival of
the Creon faction in Cavedog's
Iron Plague expansion pack,
Verunian units were no longer

G Helium filled death from above.
Race: Veruna

Description: Pumped up with an
inert gas, balloonists are less
likely to explode than their
hydrogen filled counterparts the
Dirigibles. Like the Dirigible
they need to mass in large

154 PCZONE#92AUG2000

ElOENDEDPUr^^ffi

numbers to be effective, and
ttiey need lots of protection as
two hits brings them crashing
down to earth.
Rating: OO

OMINOWHIPER^/ISDD-

VMindWhipenzip)

O Anyone for a flogging?
Race: Veruna

Description: Mind Whipers are
flagellating female mercenaries
armed with long magical bondage
whips. Each flick of the
supernatural quirt causes instant
paralysis, giving heavier units
the chance to wade in and
finish the job off.
Rating: OOO

OfMHU^kmcrABDD-

VManaVaultzip)

4 i

O A magical piggy lianli.
Race: Veruna

Description: An exceptionally
useful structure that enables you
to store mana for a rainy day.
Defence wise it's not exactly Fort
Knox, so you'll need at least one
guard unit to keep an eye on
things while you're away.
Rating: O OOO

O HARPOON TOWER (TABDD-
VHarpoonTower.zip)

G A medieval version of the
C&CTeslaColl.

Race: Veruna
Description: A land based
version of the Harpoon Tower,
this particular structure is almost
unassailable when built in groups
of three or four, and a considered
attack strategy is needed if you
ever come up against them.
Rating: OO OOO

O UNDEAD MASTER (TABDD-
TZombieMaster.zip)

G Not very nice overiord of the
not living.

Race: Taros

Description: Also known as the
Zombie Master, this unit is a
reincarnation of Lokken's evil
mentor. Useful when raw magical
power is needed in abundance.
Rating: O OOO O

OfMmUm (TABDD-
TManaVaultzip)

0 '

G A place to store magic for
a rainy day.

Race: Taros

Description: Identical to the
Verunian Mana Vault, this
structure allows you to store
mana for use at a later time.
Rating: OOOO

O SCORPION (TABDD-
Tscorpion.zip)

G You don't want to find one of
these in your boots.

Race: Taros

Description: With the same
paralysing powers of the Verunian
Mind Whiper, the Taros Scorpions
are an effective fighting force
when used in large numbers.
We found them to be most
useful when left guarding
base structures.
Rating: OOO

O PIKEIMAN aABDD-
ApikemanV2.zip}

G They're all called Magnus.
No, really.

Description: Similar in
appearance to the Pikemen of
Bungee's Myth, these fellows are
effectively swordsmen armed
with super sized spears. Summon
them in large numbers and put
them right at the front of any
advancing army and you'll be
sure to wade through unhindered.
Rating: OOOO

O MARTYR (TABDD-AMartyr.zip)

much like a Triffid, Weatherseed
Treefolk are friendly things
trained by Zhon beast masters
to do their bidding. As you
might imagine, camouflage is
not a problem.
Rating: OOO

O ELVISH ARCHER^^/l^^D-

ZEIvishArcher.zip)

G Throwaway units for large
scale battles.

Race: Aramon

Description: Martyrs are traitors
and prisoners given a second
chance by the leader of the
Aramon, Elsin. A sort of old
worid member of the Dirty Dozen.
Great as cheap, quick cannon
fodder, but not a lot else.
Rating: OO

O AIRSHIP (TABDD-Aairship.zip)

G Aramon's version of the Good
Year Blimp.

Race: Aramon

Description: An alliance between
the Aramons and Veruna has
resulted in a share of technology
and a glut of new weapons,
one of which is the Airship,
based extensively on the
Verunian Dirigible.
Rating: OOOO

O WEATHERSEED rr/lSOO-
ZWeatherseed.zip)

Race: Aramon

G straight from a certain John
Wyndham novel.

Race: Zhon

Description: A walking plant,

G Aramon's version of the Good
Year Blimp.

Race: Zhon

Description: A breakaway faction
of Aramon Archers, the Elvish
Archer of Zhon is just as useful for
picking off long-range targets and
bringing down Dirigibles and
Balloonists. Useful in any force.
Rating: OOOO

OFFICIAL MAPS

O New Cavedog maps for

TJL Kingdoms,

O NEW TERRITORIES

(BonusMP1.exe)
Description: A total of six
new territories, including four
of the most sacred sites in the
land of Darien: Hillspire Vista,
lobar's Theatre, Oldhenge, Oracle
at Pentu, Path of Pardu and
Twisted Grove.
Rating: O OOOO

GRAND THEFT
AUTO 2

CARS

O New vehicles for GTA2.
UTIUTIES

O Tools and utilities for
hacking your way into GTA2.

O CAR STAT EDITOR

(csefull.zip)

Description: Edit the vital
statistics of all 83 cars, including
speed, weight, gear ratios,
braking power and more.
Rating: OOOO

O DEVELOPMENT SUITE

(ds.zip)

Description: From the same
capable author of Car Stat Editor
comes Development Suite, a sort
of Visual Studio for Grand Theft
Auto. It effectively worths as a
launchpad application for all
other GTA hacks and mods.
Rating: OOOO

O OFFICIAL GTA2 EDITOR

(editor.exe)

Description: Comprehensive
GTA? level editor from game
creators DMA Design.
Recommended for all map
designers out there.
Rating: OOOOO

O POWERMANAGER UTILITY

(gta2 pwrmgr.zip)
Description: An add-on that
extends the regular GTA2\oa6er
program's interface to include a
complete car physics editor and
debugging settings. This allows
you to use a switch on various
cheat modes (eg invulnerability)
before you kick off the game.
Simple but useful.
Rating: OOOO

O SAVED GAME EOrrOR

(gta2 svge.zip)

Description: Hack away at any
existing GTA2sa\ie6 game file.
Tweaks include the ability to set
your bank balance, health, lives,
ammo and more. The author's
main motivation for writing it
was the $50,000 cost of saving
a game. Invaluable.
Rating: OOOOO

O FORMATS INFORMATION

(gta2formats.zip)
Description: Two official DMA
Design documents outlining
the technical specifications of
the GBH graphics engine. Not
for the faint-hearted, and
not particulariy useful for
most people.

O SCRIPTS EDITOR

(gta2script.zip)
Description: Another official
application from those friendly
people at DMA. It gives you
deep and meaningful
understanding of how GTA2
missions work; for example,
what triggers certain events,
how to set goals and so on.
Read it to understand just how
much effort game developers
put into modern titles.
Rating: OOOOO

Of^yillU (gxted11.zip}
Description: Fiddle around with
GTA2S countless messages ("You
have been arrested!" is probably
the one you're most familiar with).
Rating: OOO

OSnm (styed13.zip)
Description: View the sprites
and tiled textures from the GTA
graphics engine. You can also
export what you see to a Windows
Bitmap file for editing in any
regular paint package.
Rating: OOOO

AUG2000 #92PCZONE 155

buy diablo 2^" and get either
diablo ^ warcraft 2^ or
lords of magic for £2.9f

Q ac M «aii

excessive choice of games

megastores

DANGEROUSLY ENTERTAINING

*OH»r Mds 21st July. NwimI VSP £9.99. WhiU stocks las

THEIIONHUDDUIIES^H

ufONHEAD DUI

Black & White is almost upon us, but before its
reiease tliere's just a few iittie bugs to be ironed Out.
And the game's malcers liave the last laugh...

O WORDS Steve Jackson

RIES

^^^^^^i O Ape has

^^^^^^^^

Mm.

MIRACLE WORKERS

IWo giant creatures fight In the serene village green.

Aaaargh! Bugs! Programming errors are a reality that confronts the
coders every day. And the closer Black & White gets to completion,
the more complex the bugs become. Serious bugs cause the game to
hang or crash. But there are also bugs that have us all in hysterics.
1 was looking over artist Andy Bass's shoulder v^hen he first discovered
the 'Eat like a pig' bug. He had been working on facial expression animations
for the ape and was testing how they worked in the game. He called up his ape
and watched as it wandered around the local village. The ape was hungry and
began looking around for food. There was a pig snuffling away in the mud. He

bent over, picked up the pig and was about to eat it.

Then, amazingly, the ape disappeared completely.

This distressed the programmers, although, in
the end, Jonty Barnes came up with an explanation.
The hungry ape had picked up a pig, itself hungry,
in the middle of eating its meal. Just before the ape
could swallow its bite-sized porky, the pig took its
next mouthful and the nearest food was... the ape.
This tiny pig had eaten King Kong in a single bite!

The villagers can also develop strange eating
disorders. Jamie Durrant noticed a villager in a loop,
walking from his home towards the local storage pit.
Halfway there, he would turn around and go home.
But as scx)n as he got there, he would leave and head
back towards the storage pit, only to get halfway
and return home. It was an odd loop which could
not be broken. It turned out that this villager, who
was working in the fields, became hungry and set
off home for his dinner. But when he came home,
he found there wasn't any food there. This prompted
a trip to the food store. But on his way there, a
'status check' revealed he was hungry. The game
sent him home for his dinner. When he got there, he
found no food and set off again to the storage pit
only to be status checked again and sent home.

A huge amount of work has been done on the
creature AI, which is designed to give the creatures
'realistic' lives of their own without the player
having to constantly direct their actions. As a result,
their behaviour and the interactions between them
cause endless hours of entertainment at Lionhead.
In a previous article, I mentioned the creature that
arrived into the world hungry, looked around for
the nearest food and promptly ate itself.

On another occasion, Andy Robson discovered
one of his tortoise creatures had Messianic
delusions. After a hard day's tramping around the
world, it felt tired and settled down to sleep. But,
unfortunately, it happened to be standing in a lake.
Andy's tonoise drowned - quite peacefully, though.

Readers who have been following the Black &
White story will know that at some point your pet
will discover another creature controlled by the
computer player. The two can interact in a
number of different ways.

The ape creature about to eat a tiny pig.

A giant tortoise creature prior to his tragic drowning
incident in the lake.

The first two creature routines to be
completed were combat animations. But at
this stage no damage system had been
implemented. The creatures could bash each other
for hours without being weakened. The fight
scenes were always interesting to watch
and you often found groups gathered
around animator Eric Bailey's computer as
he tested his fight sequences. On this particular day, there was a
gang around Eric's PC and, suddenly,
everyone burst out laughing.
On-screen, a giant cow had been
fighting a giant tiger, throwing each other across
the landscape. Then, they stopped fighting and
starting dancing with each other! The cow was
performing a funky Saturday Night Fever routine,
while the tiger was breakdancing. Eric had, he
admitted, secretly been working on these dancing
routines to amuse us, but no one knew why a bug in
the program had determined that the two enemies
should suddenly decide to become dancing partners,
rhere was a creature behaviour bug which scared us.
rhose who saw it were more than a little disturbed.
The creatures, apparently, are intended to be as
realistic as possible. But the programmers and anists
sometimes get carried away with the 'realism'.
Sometimes, when no one was watching, they would
l)uild, erm... sexual and excretory functions into the
creatures' behaviours. Obviously, few, if any, of these
make it into the final version of the game. But when
you spend more than two years working on a game,
you do create a few follies for a bit of amusement.
This disgusting behaviour was observed on an ape
creature. Feeling 'the urge', the ape had squatted
over some lush green fruit bushes and relieved
himself. With the job done, the ape realised he was
hungry and the nearest food was, you guessed it, the
fruit bushes. Undeterred, he scoffed the filthy fruit.
Richard Evans, who had programmed most of the
creature's AI, screamed. Everyone assumed it was
because he had failed to program the creature to
avoid eating its own mess. But no. Richard had
written in appropriate AI in case the creature
should eat something unpalatable. But it didn't
seem to be working. Moments later, the ape was
doubled over, retching. And Richard was smiling.
That's what was supposed to happen. C3

O As well as being a director of start-up games developer
Lionhead, Steve Jackson is co-founder of Games Workshop,
a/yf/7or of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, and a columnist
for The Daily Telegraph.

O The next instalment follows in our September issue, on sale
Thursday 27 July.

AUG2000#92PCZONC 157

ITrRn THE WORLD tCtORDINt TO.

DARKWORKS

The Alone In The Da/* trilogy is one of tlie most illustrious and influential series in the PC games industry. Now
French developer Darkworks has been handed the mammoth task of updating the well-loved classic and can
feel the eyes of the worid upon them. Mark Hill chats with Antoine Villette, co-founder of the company, to find
out what it feels like to be under such intense scrutiny

Long before Fox Mulder started to stick
his nose into little fluorescent men out
of space, vampires, governmental
experiments and other miscellaneous
paranormal phenomena, there was Edward
Camby, the oblong hero from Alone In The
DartL The game, which appeared in 1993,
radically transformed computer games. It was the first
truly movie-like game experience, with a multitude of

camera angles and what was then revolutionary
animation. It was also the first of the now common-
as-muck genre of action/adventure: you moved around
in a 3D environment, solving puzzles and talking to
people, but also kicking and hacking legions of
nightmarish creatures.

It used the same 1 920s America look that Nocturne
fed on and drew heavily from both HP Lovecraft's
Cthulu myths and artists' interpretations of the

monsters he described. Until then people had no idea
of the power a game could have to scare and amaze
you at the same time. The atmosphere was palpable
as you explored the house in search of clues, while
fighting zombies and other monsters from beyond.

After venturing Into the realm of pirates and
gunslingers in the second and third instalments.
Alone In The Dartc 4 goes back to its roots, the main
setting being a dark house on a sinister island. With
the creator of the series, Hubert Chardot, having
moved on to make the original, if unacclaimed. Devil
Inside, Darkworks has now stepped in to fill some
pretty big shoes. We asked Antoine how he felt about
taking on a game with such a significant past

A name as well recognised as Alone In The Dark
comes with a lot of background baggage,
preconceptions and things that people expect
to see. How much does Alone In The Dark 4
feel like your baby?

Antoine: It definitely felt like our baby. We wanted
10 re invent the j^ame from the first series, so we
kept tnic to its spirit, which was having an everyday
environment, like the mansion, and we also kept
Carnby s character.

Did you go back to the original Alone to try and
recapture some of the essence of the game or did
you want to start from scratch?

Antoine: We started from scratch and redesigned

the characters and the story to make them more ^

contemporary and fit in with modern times. We C

158 PCZONE#92AUG2000

Antoine Villette proves
that all you need is a pen,
a mobile and a whole lot
of cigarettes to make a
successful company.

THE WORLD UCORDING TO.

^ We think the use of atmosphere
in the original Aloneis much
hotter than Resident Evil

ANTOINE VILLEHE, CO-FOUNDER OF DARKWORKS

160 PCZONE#92AUC2000

THE WORLD miNG TO..

f were very interested in the movie effects of the
first Alone so ^^^e have been working for two years to
keep that kind of feeling alive. Today's technology
allows you to recreate the feeling that you are in a
movie and this is what we have tried to do. We want
you to feel like you are not only in the movie, but
that you're actually the hero.

The Alone series influenced many games, most
notably the phenomenally successful Resident
Evil series. How much influence does Resident
Evil have on i4/one In The Dark 47
Antoine: Resident Evil was actually a negative
influence, so we didn't want to draw any inspiration
from it. Although there were things that did
influence us like the perfect camera angles and
camera switches.

There seem to be two types of horror games:
the ones that rely on shocks and gore (such
as Resident Evil) and the ones that attempt
more of an atmosphere and try to scare you
through psychological fear {Silent Hill on
console or System Shock 2 on PC). Which ones
do you think work best and where would you
place Alone In The Dark 4?
Antoine: Alone In The Dark 4 situates itself in the
middle with 50 per cent action and 75 per cent
adventure {no prizes for mathematical genius, then
- Ed). We focused on the characters and the links
they have with the player, especially the
psychological links. We think the use of
atmosphere in the original Alone is much
better than in Resident Evil or Silent Hill.
1 believe that's because the game came
from nowhere and I don't think anyone
understood the story.

Japanese market is so big that the 20 per cent of it
that arrives in Europe is some of the best available.
We have to be better. We need to innovate the
content of our games, without trying to be the
most innovative in technology.

The inspiration for many of the monsters in
the AZone series has been drawn from the
HP Lovecraft Cthulu myths. Was this the case
with you? What other sources of inspiration
did you have?

Antoine: The Lovecraft Cthulu myths did not
really inspire us at all. We sat down and thought
about the different kinds of deaths there could be
in the game, in the end we came up with about
15 to 20 and built a monster that could be capable
of inflicting each death. We worked with a famous
illustrator called Claire Welding, and with her
talent we were able to tell her what deaths we
wanted and she would build the monster around
each death, from slightly creepy ones to truly
frightening ones.

Edward Carnby was around long before
Fox Mulder, but has the X-Files influenced
you at all? I notice that part of the plot
involves a governmental organisation called
the Bureau 713...

Antoine: In fact, the inspiration for Bureau 713
came from a personal interest in governmental

What do you think is the fascination
with extreme violence in games, with
limbs that blow apart spilling blood
everywhere? This is not necessarily just in
horror games, you can see it in Soldier Of
Fortune or Quake III.

Antoine: As human beings we have a huge range
of emotions, two of which are fear and a sense of
power. With fear you need to have danger around
you. We don't feel we need to add litres of blood
to a game sequence, just one image is enough
to cause fear, i'he power of the player is perhaps
a danger, as they have a different psychology of
total power. VJiih Alone you can be completely
lost and feel weakness.

The impact of horror films on games is probably
greater than any other kind, making horror
games probably the most cinematic genre. Why
do you think this is?

Antoine: It's because it's simple. At the moment we
can't recreate emotions like crying or love, because
it is a complex series of subtle features that allow
those feelings. It's no coincidence that a high per
cent of the gaming public are 15 to 25, either, and
that this is also the same for the public attending
horror movies. In Alone we wanted to add that little
bit of real-life story.

How do you compare the European (Alone)
and the Japanese {Resident Evil) games
development industries? Dark European games
seem to borrow from film noir as much as they
do from horror films.

Antoine: I think it is very different with Japan,
because they are nearly two years ahead of us. The

^The next big step is movie-quality
animations, for the next games
well be focussing on that^^

ANTOINE ON THE FUTURE OF DARKWORKS

organisations, although I am a big fan of the
X-Eiles and I can't deny that there is some of its
influence in the story.

How do you think video games fit in with other
media, such as films or books. Do you think
games are progressing independently from
films into a completely different art form? Can
you see games being widely recognised as art
in the near future?

Antoine: I am not an art guru, but what I'd like
to see is the video games industry going down
its own route. For instance, at E3 I found a lot of
adaptations of television programmes. If possible,
I would like us to have our own rules of directing
and animation. For example, The Matrix was
heavily influenced by computer games. If we want
to be mass market in five or six years then we have
to be careful that computer games do not become
a derivative product.

How important for you is the story in a game?
How do you deal with the problem between
telling a good story, with good twists in the plot
and plenty of depth, all of which necessarily
implies linearity with the interactivity necessary
to make a good game?

Antoine: A story is extremely important. In Alone
In The Dark 4 there are around 200 dialogues,
which we can-use to really tell a story well. There
are two very important things to keep in mind in
the distribution of the information: where to put
it and how.

Do you think the adventure genre is almost
dead? Or do you think it's just evolved into
another form?

Antoine: 1 don't think the adventure genre is
dead. A typical adventure game is Monkey Island.
In movies you have action, romance etc... and in
games you have to have adventure.

How important are the puzzles in Alone In The
Dark 4? How many other human characters are
there, and how much will you be able to talk
with them?

Antoine: The puzzles are not pen and paper
puzzles, they are analogical puzzles. You will solve
a puzzle without even knowing it was there. There
are about ten characters, but there will only be
contextual dialogue between you and them. When
you meet them it is in order to gather clues.

How much have you felt the limitations of doing
a PlayStation game at the same time as making it
for the more powerful PC when you know the
capabilities of the imminent PS2?
Antoine: For the developers it is very difficult,
especially in terms of the quality of content. We
tried to get an improvement on each platform,
but on each platform, gamers are different.

Putting emotion into games and creating
characters that seem real, and are capable
of provoking the same kind of
responses that good films do seems
one of the main objectives for the
future (it's no coincidence that the PS2
brain is called the emotion chip). Are
you tackling that issue or don't you
think games are capable of doing that
just yet? Do you think psychological
horror will become more common
than visceral horror?
Antoine: The next big step is movie-
quality animation and for the next games we'll
really be focusing on this aspect.

At the moment Alone In The Dark 4 falls neatiy
into the category of action/adventure, and
people can immediately relate it to games they
already know, such as Tomb Raider, Dino Crisis
etc. Do you think there'll come a time when
games don't need to define themselves in
relation to other games?

Antoine: Video games are sold in shops and if you
don't categorise them you will get nowhere and sell
nothing. I would like to do a personal game such as
Grim Fandango, but it's very difficult to make a
personal game when it has to be marketed in order
to be sold, and it's very difficult to market a game
without references.

We'll be able to see for ourselves whether Alone In The
Dark 4 can live up to the legacy and the massive
expectations old-time gamers hava Look out for more
information on the game in next montti's issue, when
we visit Darfcworks once again to bring you a masshre
preview. In the meantime, we are left pondering where
horror action/adventures are heading. Will they go
down the System Shock route so brilliantly established
by Realms Of The Haunting or will they continue to take
their cue from the console-orientated Japanese scene?
As games get more sophisticated, will we be able to
experience emotions other than fear? Like Antoine
Viilette says, games need to be accepted as an art-fofm
in their own right, independent from other visual forms
of entertainment, if they are to progress. CZ^

41162000 #92 PCZONE 161

iKlTEIMnLK

TEAMTALK

It all appears to be falling apart rapidly as Injuries,
drinking and gambling inflict their toll and take hold
of the PC ZOiVf office

O REHABIUTATED Richie Shoemaker

You'll be
unsurprised to
hear that Quake
III Arena is still
top of our
lunchtime playlist,
despite Dan Emery's (our
disk editor) insistence that
the game is tiresome in the
extreme. (This from a man
who thinks Panzer General is
the height of sophistication.)
Once famous for his
appearances in the Timotei
commercials back in the '80s,
accident-prone Dan is
currently to be seen hobbling
around the office with a

spread like wildfire through
its victims. One mention of
the 'w' word is enough to shut
down PCs and Macs alike,
and come six o'clock, the
office is deserted. However, it
was only recently when Chris
took his double tumble that
we came to realise what an
insidious force the wheato
truly is. As addictive as crack
and just as dangerous, much
training is required to master
its ways. Don't do it kids.
Wheatos will screw you up.
Lesson over.

So with intemperance
curtailed for the moment, the

^The blame for the current gambling
frenzy in the office can be squarely
laid at Chris Anderson's f eet^

bloated foot and broken

fingers, he also came home
from E3 fluorescent purple,
after, we're told, just one
hour in the sun. So we
reckon a starring role in
the next series of Ribena
ads is assured.

Goblin King Chris
Anderson has also been
stress-testing his physical
structure: one too many pints
of wheat beer (The Official
Beer of the PC ZONE team)
and a Baileys was enough to
see him fall out of his seat on
two occasions on our latest
mid-week ^wheato night'. He
claims he was pushed and
indeed it did look to be the
case, but on reflection, his
wild gesticulations prior to
his fall could attest to the fact
that one of his EverQuest
incantations had gone awry.
Either that or he was pissed...

Apart from its effect on
body and mind after
ludicrous amounts, the
glorious cloudy brew known
as ^wheato' has had an
amazing effect within the
PC ZONE offices. From an
inglorious introduction six
months ago, wheato fever has

evils of another vice have
gripped our hovel, thanks
in part to the impending
Euro 2000. While I must
take sole responsibility for
introducing the evils of the
wheato to our ranks, the
blame for the current
gambling frenzy in the
office can be squarely
laid at Chris
Anderon's feet,
for it is he
who suggested
we should
bid for teams,
winner takes
all. Currently
the bids for
England, Spain,
Italy and Holland
have gone through
the roof, while
I shall content myself
with the bargain of
the century - Turkey at
50p. Well, you never know
and if the Ttirks do manage
to pull off their second
footballing fluke in as
many months, I shall
probably be the only Brit
toasting their glory. National
pride is one thing. Money
quite another.

PCZONEsXbW woHdng their fingers to the bone at E3 in Los Angeles.

Our esteemed dep ed, Dave
Woods, after just one too many..

Which brings me neatly
back to Quake III. Yes it seems
football isn't the only thing
we're prepared to waste
money on. Dave 'Daikatana'
Woods and Martin 'coffee

ease, no sugar
Korda have
wagered a week's
lunch that Dave
, can or can't
1 beat Martin
I by 20 frags on
I any map of
f Martin's choice.
Considering
Martin's meteoric
' rise up the PC
ZONE rankings,
Dave may well have
to shell out for quite a
few kebabs (yet another
recent vice).

All good things must come
to an end, however, and with
our lunchtime Quake III
sessions seemingly peaking,
we turn more increasingly to
what 1 find as the most bizarre
choice.for a replacement
-Open Tenuis 2000. Not since

fipw k

Actua Soccer 2 has a spons
game taken over the office, I
certainly hope its popularity
takes a dive in the very near
future. At the moment I'm
trying to indoctrinate the
chaps into Counter-Strike,
but it seems my calls for
reinforcements are falling on
deaf ears. Hopefully, when we
move offices in a couple of
months this situation will
change. By then we will have
fast connections for games (we
only have a 56K modem to link
us with the ouside world at the
moment) and while the others
play Tennis, Tetns or some
other rubbish, I shall be tasting
the delights of online Counter-
Strike, eating my large doner,
hopefully with a wedge of
notes in my pocket - courtesy
of Turkey - and the promise of
a wheato at the end of it. O

162 PGZ0NE#S2m2M

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EARTH COLONY: 001

CounMown \d launch Nov 2000

The on-line gate \o a parallel domain.

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